Pause before you eat
The Bt gene in brinjal does not increase productivity. But what it is surely about to do is bring India's first genetically altered food crop to your dining table. And there are lots of reasons why this should worry you, writes Devinder Sharma.
After the rats, goats, sheep and cows, it is now the turn of Indians. In a few months from now, if the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) of India has its way, the first genetically modified food crop - Bt Brinjal - will be on your table.
Whether it is the laboratory rats or the higher mammals, the animals have been more discerning. Probably they have the sixth instinct, that the humans sadly appear to lack. There is otherwise no explanation why the laboratory rats should be spurning GM food that we are told is perfectly safe for us. And when force fed, the rats have invariably developed tumours, develop deformed body organs, including kidneys and livers, and these have led to several serious diseases and ailments.
We have heard repeatedly of the death of sheep and goats, when left to graze in the Bt cotton fields. First it was reported from Andhra Pradesh and now newspaper reports say the same is happening in Orissa. Not much is known publicly about how cattle react; several farmers in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana have told me that cows avoid the Bt cotton fields when left to openly graze.
The Bt gene that has been infused in Bt cotton (or Bt corn on which most of the laboratory rats studies have been conducted) is no different from the one drawn from a soil bacterium - scientifically called Bt - that is now being incorporated in Brinjal. This gene releases a toxin within the plant that kills fruit-and-shoot borer insects. The Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company (Mahyco), which is spearheading research on Bt Brinjal, claims that the genetically-modified Brinjal is safe for human consumption.
I have never been overawed by the safety claims made by companies. For several decades now, we were told that cigarette smoking wasn’t harmful to human health, chemical pesticides were completely safe, and white sugar poses no danger to the human body. These are not the only products that received safety certificates, either. The list is endless. And yet, decades later, and after inflicting a heavy human cost the world over, most of these products are being banned or phased out. The way sugar-based food products have hit the market - and all are vouched safe - diabetes has suddenly assumed epidemic proportions.
Talking about diabetes, and realising that the disease is growing at an alarming scale, the disappearance of the traditionally cultivated Brinjal from the market, will surely take away one of the simple home remedies and widely practiced dietary solutions to combat Type 2 diabetes. I too suffer from this variety, and therefore find it appalling to see that no scientific organisation, including the GEAC, is coming clean on what the genetically modified Brinjal will mean to people like me.
What about diabetic mothers? Pregnant women are increasingly becoming prone to gestational diabetes - a temporary form of diabetes. In recent years, the number of affected women in whom the disease has grown to full-blown diabetes has been increasing - almost 25 per cent get Type 2 diabetes within 15 years. Whatever be the safety claims, the fact remains that no medical studies have been conducted to show that the therapeutic properties in a normal Brinjal will not change when it is genetically modified.
Even if you are not a diabetic, you can’t be sure you’re safe. So far you have been made to believe that by proper washing of the Brinjal veggies you could get rid of the harmful pesticide residues. That may not hold true anymore. With genetic modification, the toxins are no longer only on the surface of the foods; instead they are inside. And you will not be able to wash away these toxins once the Bt Brinjal arrives in your kitchen.
Don’t just take my word for it. Listen instead to Professor Dave Schubert of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California: “The Bt toxin is 1000 times more concentrated than in Bt sprays, which do not themselves have a history of safe use.” In simple words, what Dr Schubert says is that genetically modified Bt plants, and that includes Bt Brinjal, carry a toxin that is a thousand times more potent than what is used to kill insects. Strains of Bt have been used as sprays to control harmful insets.
The problem is that once Bt Brinjal enters the market, there is no way you can distinguish it from the normal ones. Your vegetable vendor will never be able to sell you the normal Brinjal that you are so used to buying. Moreover, once the genie is out, there is no way to call it back into the bottle. To make matters worse, the GEAC has given permission to conduct multi-location trials on Karnataka’s famed traditional Brinjal varieties - Udupi Gulla. Cultivated for its special taste and unique flavour in the Udupi district of Karnataka, these strains are tied to such strong socio-cultural traditions that even today the Gulla Brinjal variety is offered to Lord Krishna on festive paryaya ceremonies.
Tracing out the antiquity of the cultivation and use of Brinjal in India, Ramesh Bhat of the Centre for Science, Society and Culture, Hyderabad, writes in a detailed paper in the journal Asian Agri-History that Gulla varieties (especially Mattu Gulla) are a perfect example of ‘plant-God-science’ relationship. “The example of Mattu Gulla shows how local farmers can choose a variety that meets their local needs and preferences, and is best suited to their specific local ecosystems. The practices adopted by farmers of Udupi have a scientific basis - both traditional and modern.”
Realising the uniqueness of the Mattu Gulla Brinjal, the Karnataka State Department of Horticulture is trying to preserve the genetic wealth by seeking a geographical indication for the Gulla strains. Ironically, the same variety for which GI is being sought by the Karnataka government is now ready for genetic plunder. The GVK University of Agricultural Science and Technology, Bangalore, is trying to introduce a Bt gene into the Gulla strains, thereby contaminating the genetic make-up of the traditional variety. The uniqueness of the Gulla varieties, preserved for over four thousand years by local farmers, awaits erosion at the hands of agricultural biotechnologists.
Why worry about this Bt Brinjal, some might ask. Isn’t it necessary for improving production and productivity, some of you might argue. First of all, let me assure you that there is no shortage of Brinjal. Nor does the Bt gene increase productivity and production; there aren’t puiblicly available studies to check the claims of the companies, anyway. But what it does for sure is bring India’s first genetically altered food crop to your dining table. It is time you woke up before it is too late.
Filed under
Cite this article
Devinder Sharma (2008) ‘Pause before you eat’, India Together, 19 September 2008. https://indiatogether.org/brinjal-op-ed/
10 reader responses
Add a response
Kiran Varanasi · 26 September 2008
What a joke of an article!!! After the rats, goats, sheep and cows, it is now the turn of Indians. I can't believe I am reading this. 1) Genetic modification is not about inserting some poison into your food. 2) Different types of genetic modification have different effects and side-effects. Some will be more harmful than others. 3) Genetic engineering is a significant improvement over the earlier stem-cell culture for good seed designs. 4) Genetic engineering has significant potential in "reducing" pesticide use, and thus, reducing the environmental impact. 5) Some genetic modification is harmful, especially those modifications which are patented and not open to public. Devinder Sharma is a food and trade policy analyst.
Dr. Shanthu Shantharam · 3 October 2008
This article by Devinder Sharma on Bt brinjal is full of scientifically wrong information. Bt gene produces a protein that is toxic to only a group of insects called Lepidopterans. Bt has been used safely for almost hundred years and in all these years, there is not a single instance of Bt protein being harmful to higher animals or humans. The sheer bichemical mecahnism f its action preculdes it from being effective in the acidic stomachs of mammals and humans. Bt is also not an allergen. The sheep death story is simply a hoax. Brinjal is not native to India, but it is to South America. No one is introducing Bt gene into Gulla brinjal, but even if someone did, it will only help protect that variety and not destroy it. It is purely needless fear mongering to suggest genetic modification is somehow going to affect the genetic or religious sanctity of gulla variety, which itself has been modified over centuries by classical breeding and genetic techniques. It is pure scientific nonsense to somehow link diabetes with Bt gene technology. There is ony one connection of insulin with gene splicing technology, and that is that almost 100% of insulin being used by diabetics all over the world today is made of recombinant DNA origin that has a perfect safety record of over two decades. Bt brinjal, when available to Indian growers and consumers will be perfectly safe as the safety of Bt gene is never in question and it will save literally hundreds of crores of rupees in chemcial pesticide spray used for growing vegetables in India. Dave Schubert is a neurobiologist at Salk Institute who has no background in plant sciences or agriculture, and his opinions have been completely discredited in the scientific community of North America. Quoting Schubert as an authority on Bt plants is laughable.
Bikram Singh · 7 October 2008
When health is absent Wisdom cannot reveal itself, Art cannot become manifest, Strength cannot be executed, Wealth is useless, and Reason is powerless. Herophilies - 300 B.C
OJAS · 15 October 2008
It's a very interesting article. Some new information that I had not known before. I do agree with the author on a few points. First of all, why Brinjal? There is no shortage of Brinjal so I don't the see the need of conducting any experiment on it. After reading the article you do feel that there might be some harmful effects of conducting such an experiment but somehow I feel that people who are conducting this experiment would be aware of all facts and would definitely conduct proper test before sending the product in the market. I just feel that the developed Brinjal should be just tested on few humans before sending it to whole market. Crops getting destroyed due to pest are a big concern in India right now and if we can get cure for it. Well and good.
P.Prabhakar · 17 October 2008
No doubt genetic modifications bring about quality changes in the structures of organisms,but it is a natural process without human interference. And nature selects what is good and not good. So better leave it to nature.
ashpreet · 19 October 2008
Indeed an informative yet depressing article which not only make our antennas work but gives us an insight into how experiments can prove to be useless at times. There's no specific or urgent need to experiment on food products thus releasing them in the markets without giving it a second thought. We need to act sensibly to make things work by making the experiments successful and approved before drawing conclusions. It leaves us suspicious in the end. We don't see the urgency of switching to altered food products.
Rakesh Nair · 19 October 2008
The big question here is - how safe is this Bt-Brinjal for humans? The fact that the traditionally cultivated brinjal can help fight type 2 diabetes was an eye opening one. The danger this new development poses to the expecting mothers and the threat that the BT toxins which is 1000 times more potent than what is used to kill insects is something which should force the concerned officials to re-think about the step they plan to take. I personally feel that GEAC should pull back the permission given to conduct multi-location trials on Karnataka's traditional- Udpi gulla, especially when it holds such a cultural value. Before making a final mind set about the matter discussed in the article I would appreciate if Mr. Devinder Sharma gives his point of view in argument to what has been posted by Mr.Viduth Chaugule, which clearly contradicts the authors write-up.
SV nagappa · 1 November 2008
Is this author serious or this is a spoof? In India farmers are committing suicide due to crop failures and lack of money to buy inputs such as fertilizers, fungicides, water etc. I do not belong to any company nor do I care if they make money. However as an agricultural scientist I very deeply care about what is being done to the farmers in the name of helping the consumer. What is genetic modification? Very simple - human beings and nature have been doing this for millions of years. When a plant breeder wants to transfer desired genes from one plant to the other they normally place the pollen of one plant on the stigma in the flower of the other (pollination). This allows for moving half of the genetic material in the cells of the pollen to the embryo developed due to the fertilization. Because 1/2 the genetic material is transferred along with that genes that are not wanted or desired also get transferred. So the plant breeder has to spend many years (up to 15) to eliminate the unwanted genes. Meanwhile the genes of the fungus or the bugs which attack the crop also mutate at a much faster rate and therefore the plant variety may no longer be resistant to the bug or the fungus etc. So that defeats the purpose. Genetic modification or any organism especially crop species tries to overcome this issue by developing the variety faster. It is done by identifying the gene needed very specifically, isolating it and moving it in the laboratory to another plant or a species. However this is not easy either as just because a gene is moved that does not mean to say it behaves well with the genetic material of the other plant either. The plant breeder has to conduct tests for at least 7 years to ensure that the desired gene is stable and not rejected by the genetic material of the plant it got moved to. Along with this tests are conducted to ensure food safety etc. GM brinjal in India has been tested for more than 12 years that I know of. Moving genes from one plant to another wont AND cant make it harmful in anyway. The only way it can be harmful is if the animal or human develops an allergic reaction of some sorts. This can happen even with normal conventionally developed varieties or foods. The people in India who are preventing genetically modified foods from reaching the farmers are merely aping the west in the name of helping the farmers. India exports very little of its major crop products as majority of it is consumed domestically. Farmers need plant varieties which are not only tolerant to fungal and pest infestation not just increase yield. Already farmers suffer enough due to high cost of fertilizers, water, electricity and seed. They also suffer due to lack of viability of seed supplied due to lack of proper seed storage, seed multiplication supply chain without proper reselling agents and seed quality. Have any of these people who sit in the cities thought about what they are doing to the farmers? Have they thought about how if they supported genetic modifications then farmers can not only get better varieties but also benefit in other ways? If the seed is supplied by large companies then the government has the capacity to ensure adequate food testing is done and new desired varieties can be developed. Secondly if the seed quality is poor then the farmers co-operatives have a body to take to court or hold accountable for poor seed quality and this therefore forces the seed compaines to build and develop good supply chain management which can only improve the benefits to the farmers. Regarding the price of the seed is it better for the farmer to get good quality seed which can be sown and made profits out of or is it better for them to keep paying for the poor quality seed and have crop failures over and over again due to some reason or the other and drive them to suicide. When are these people going to wake up? Please stop helping the consumers and farmers unless you are prepared to give them alternatives which allow their lives to improve and their children become food analysts etc. Food as a medicine has been used in India for 1000's of years through Aayurveda. Yes they did not have laboratories do fast track development however they did not become foolish aping the west. Please allow the consumers to get better products and farmers to benefit as well. Progress is when someone is allowed to make free choices. Educated people stifling the progress of uneducated farmers is a form of discrimination and against human rights. Stop this nonsense now.
dev abhishek · 13 March 2009
With all due respect to writer,without questioning his knowledge and analysis of topic, allow us to bring to notice of common reader that a crop like Bt brinjal Which is genetically modified has to pass through a series of quality ,purity,genuineness trials before it can enter in market.mind you it takes 10 to 15 years for group of researchers and scientist to develop such variety and they will not risk this sheer hard work for negligence of prime determinants of any crop quality i.e . its safety. even if a crop variety is found inflicting damage on friendly insects called NEs that variety is not passed.hence holding such innovative revolutionary development as dangerous to human health is something that dampens endeavor of we researchers.
Amit Sinha · 16 June 2009
Not a big fan of GM myself, I found this article disappointing because of its tabloid-ish writing style. Presenting hear-say and anecdotal evidence damages the argument and sounds like empty fear-mongering. I expect a much well researched and cross-referenced article from IndiaTogether.