btbrinjal – Ubinig

4May

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Events/News

Organise Against Corporate Crimes

UBINIG and Nayakrishi Andolon || Thursday 04 May 2017 UBINIG and Nayakrishi Andolon “Our environment is poisoned, our food is poisoned. We must act collectively against the corporate crimes”, speakers at the Press Briefing on Monsanto Tribunal stressed. The briefing was held on 4 May, 2017 at the National Press Club, Dhaka. The Press Briefing was organised by UBINIG and Nayakrishi Andolon to share the Legal Opinion delivered by Judges of Monsanto Tribunal. In this Tribunal, a testimony was presented by Farida Akhter of UBINIG on Bt Brinjal, a Monsanto-Mahyco initiative imposed on the farmers through Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI). The Press Briefing was chaired by Dr. Zafrullah Chowdhury. Delwar Jahan of Prakritik Krishi, Human Rights Activist Adv. Adilu...

13Feb

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Environment & Ecology

Dear honourable environment minister!

Farida Akhter A snapshot of Newshour Extra Talkshow (ATN News) broadcasted on February 4, 2017. WHAT is the role of the ministry of environment and forestry in giving approval to a government project? I wanted to ask the very question to the minister directly in a TV show in which he featured recently. I couldn’t get through. So here I am asking the question for his kind attention. The Newshour Extra Talk show of ATN News on the night of February 4, 2017 invited the honourable minister, Anwar Hossain Manju, ministry of environment and forestry. The talk show is featured sadharaner janya prashna (questions for the public) as ekai eksho (one is as good as hundred). The minister was taking questions from two journalists as well as from the viewers over phone. Munni Shaha conduc...

4Mar

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Btbrinjal & Corporate Politics

Bt Brinjal: Put a label on it

Farida Akhter Consumers have the right to know what they are buying The field cultivation of genetically modified brinjal (also known as Bt Brinjal) was conditional. In October 2013, the National Committee on Biosafety (NCB) imposed seven conditions to be followed in field cultivation. One of these conditions was labeling -- if Bt Brinjal is brought to the market, they must be labelled, ie it should be clearly stated if it is GMO. Since 2014, two rounds of cultivation showed very poor performance, and the brinjals which were brought to the market were not labelled. Consumers did not know what they were buying. This is indeed a violation of the conditions of approval. Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) always refused to label them, insisting that it was impossibl...

Bt brinjal on “life support” in Bangladesh

22Nov

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Btbrinjal & Corporate Politics

Bt brinjal on “life support” in Bangladesh

GMWATCH A policy research group has concluded that the GM crop was a “miserable failure” in its second year of cultivation. Claire Robinson reports https://gmwatch.org/en/news/latest-news/16535 Bt brinjal (eggplant) has proved a “miserable failure” in its second year of cultivation in Bangladesh, according to a new report by the development policy research group, UBINIG. Unimpressed by claims that Bt brinjal has proved a boon to farmers, the group conducted its own field investigations and concluded that this GM crop is on “life support”. The UBINIG investigators obtained a list of 110 farmers growing Bt brinjal made by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), which is managing the Bt brinjal project in the country in collaboration with Cornell University. UBINI...

Stop Bt. Brinjal and Golden Rice Field Cultivation

2Nov

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Events/News

Stop Bt. Brinjal and Golden Rice Field Cultivation

GMO Birodi Morcha and Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (BAPA) Discussion meeting on impact of GMO Crops: Bt Brinjal and Golden rice was held on 2 November, 2015 at the National Press Club, Dhaka. GMO Birodi Morcha and Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (BAPA) jointly organized the discussion meeting. The environmental activist, development workers and journalist participated in the discussion meeting. Professor Moazzem Hossain, Vice President, BAPA chaired the discussion meeting. Farida Akhter, Member, GMO Biridi Morcha, presented the key note speech. The panel speakers were Delowar Jahan, Staff reporter, The daily Shokaler Khabor; Dr. M. A. Sohban, agricultural scientist and Sakiul Millat Morshed, Executive Director, Shishuk. The other speakers included Samiron Biswas, CCDB, Bangladesh; Ibnu...

‘Bagary Baingan’ on the menu of Modi: Was it Bt. Brinjal?

8Jun

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Btbrinjal & Corporate Politics

‘Bagary Baingan’ on the menu of Modi: Was it Bt. Brinjal?

Farida Akhter Indian Prime Minister Norendra Modi’s eventful two-day visit ended on the 7th June, 2015 in Bangladesh. Mr. Prime Minister is a vegetarian and therefore as a host Bangladesh government, particularly Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina herself took special care to select different kinds of vegetarian foods. The Hindustan Times reported on 7 June, 2015 titled “100 veg dishes for Modi” including special daal, khichdi, dhokla and Bangladesh’s special sweets. In The NDTV news it was elaborated further, such as for starters, there was a Gujarati speciality - Kaman Dhokla, accompanied with a yoghurt corriander chutney. For main course there were the north Indian favourites like Paneer Butter Masala, Vegetable Shammi Kebabs and Dal Tadka. The menu also served some Bengali specia...

BtBrinjal: Non-compliance of approval terms!

30May

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Btbrinjal & Corporate Politics

BtBrinjal: Non-compliance of approval terms!

Coalition Against Bt Brinjal (বিটিবেগুন বিরোধী মোর্চা) Introduction Bt brinjal is a GMO or Genetically Modified Organism. Crystal gene from Bacillus thuringiensis has been inserted into brinjal genome to increase the resistance of brinjal against Fruit and Shoot Borer (FSB) insect. Bangladesh Agricultural research Institute (BARI) has conducted this research with the support of ABSP II of USAID. BARI received the seeds of Bt brinjal from Maharastra Hybrid Seed Company (MAHYCO), India. There was no innovation by BARI scientists, they only used the Monsanto-Mahyco technology to conduct experiment with the genetically modified Bt. Brinjal through the farmers in Bangladesh. BARI had applied for approval during mid July (14 July, 2013) to the Ministry of Agriculture for cultivati...

Mahyco ‘owns’ Bt Brinjal, not BARI and never the farmers!

27Feb

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Btbrinjal & Corporate Politics

Mahyco ‘owns’ Bt Brinjal, not BARI and never the farmers!

Farida Akhter On October 30, 2013 Bangladesh National Committee on Bio-safety (NCB) approved the application of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) for limited-scale cultivation and marketing of genetically modified eggplant, known as Bt Brinjal amid protests by environmental and farmers groups. The resistance against Bt Brinjal is increasing on issues related to serious threat to bio-safety and health. The authorities have failed to prove any agronomic value of the genetically engineered product and the claims are based on faulty methodology. The farmers are squarely resisting against patenting and explicit attempt of bio-piracy through technological manipulation. However, disregarding all these views, BARI claimed that Bt. brinjal has been developed in the public s...

Stop Nerica and Genetically Engineered Bt Brinjal

28Sep

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GMOs & Genetic Engineerings

Stop Nerica and Genetically Engineered Bt Brinjal

UBINIG UBINIG (Policy Research for Development Alternative) and the biodiversity-based farmers’ initiative “Nayakrishi Andolon” expressed concern over promotion of technologies that are direct threat to biodiversity and the food sovereignty of the country. In a discussion meeting titled ‘African NERICA rice and Bt. brinjal are threat to bio-diverse agriculture in Bangladesh’ UBINIG and Nayakrishi Andolon farmers presented field based information to show how these are going to pose a threat to our biodiversity and farmers.The organizations are particularly concerned about the promotion of African Nerica Rice and Bt.Brinjal in Bangladesh. The discussion meeting was held at the Reporters’ Unity, Dhaka on 17 September 2012. Farida Akhter, Executive Director, UBINIG presented th...