AN "AUTHORITY" FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY-"STIFLING" OF DEMOCRACY

Biotechnology has made tremendous strides during the last two decades, the impact being greatest in pharmaceutical industry. Of course in the area of food also, Biotechnological approach has given rise to genetically modified products which are under consideration for adoption in many countries including India. How ever some countries like the US have gone ahead with massive adoption of all types of GM foods without adequately assessing the adverse impact associated with genetic manipulation of natural foods on long term food safety, environmental hazards and farm economy.

The recent Bt Brinjal debate in India was able to focus the attention of people on the consequences of GM foods under the Indian environment and against substantial opposition from scientific, farming and consumer communities government retreated in grace abandoning, for the time being, the earlier plans for introduction of Bt Brinjal, developed by the global GM seed giant, Monsanto, for commercial cultivation. The much discredited Genetic Engineering Clearance Committee (GEAC) under the Ministry of Environment, chaired by a bureaucrat with no knowledge about Biotechnology, and staffed by some "yes" scientists, whose credentials were questioned even by the Supreme Court in the country, gave its "approval" for regular cultivation
of Bt Brinjal. It is another story that the Environment Minister had the good sense to overturn the irresponsible action of GEAC. With such a background, what will be the future of GM crops in India, is a relevant question.

With two powerful Ministers in the Union Cabinet unabashedly canvassing for GM foods, Prime Minister also seems to be sympathetic to the GM lobby for reasons not yet clear, all under the pretext or illusion that GM technology only can "augment" food supply in future and prevent large scale starvation!. Even the perpetrators of GM food myth do not claim any genuine increase in crop yield but assert that loss due to pests could be less thereby increasing the harvest volume. Now that the much ridiculed GEAC is discredited, GOI seems to be in a hurry to replace it with an "Authority" under the statute for which necessary legislation is being drafted. Probably with the majority UPA has in the Parliament, the proposed "Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India" (BRAI) may become a reality soon, if good sense does not prevail on the MPs during discussion of the legislation. Why the opposition for the proposed BRAI?

If one goes by the experience during the setting up of "Food Standards and Safety Authority of India" earlier, BRAI is also not going to be different. There will be intense lobbying amongst retired bureaucrats with practically no exposure to Biotechnology or related areas of science, to occupy the "Chair" and the country will have to witness this "game of musical chairs" pretty soon. BRAI is a bureaucrat's dream because of the draconian power sought to be vested with it and a cursory look at some of the provisions in the draft bill will convince any one that a police bureaucrat may be more suitable to "administer" the Authority. Most disgusting provision in the bill is to provide for jail term up to one year and a fine of Rs 2 lakh for any one who without evidence or scientific record misleads public about the safety of the products and the organisms used. Adding insult to injury the information about GM products has been kept out of the purview of RTI Act, clearly showing the intention of GOI to push the GM products down the throat of the people with great secrecy. Further the sole responsibility for clearing all GM crops has been given to BRAI with no role for other ministries like those for food, agriculture, environment, health, consumer welfare etc. Is this compatible with democratic credentials of this country?

India seems to be aping the US, at least in promotion of GM crops and BRAI is a pre-requisite for repeating the US experience where GM crops are cleared with executive authority rather than through scientific and democratic route. Unless major changes are made in the proposed Bill, Parliament should not accord approval to this devious strategy of GOI.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

BIOTECHNOLOGY-THE GRABBING GAME

Biotechnology is touted to be the key to the future of mankind and it is supposed to spearhead the second Green Revolution to achieve quantum increase in food production to feed the ever expanding population, especially in the Third World. Some critiques argue that the current food production is adequate to feed every human being on this planet with 2800 kC equivalent of food which if really eaten can be a right recipe for obesity! As against this UN agencies like FAO and many rich countries are pitching for genetic engineering to increase the food availability with the presumption that the main reason for 800 million people going hungry is due to inability of the food production to achieve growth rates in keeping with the population growth.

Biotechnology which started with the traditional hybridization techniques in fifties and sixties has assumed high degree of sophistication with sustained R & D inputs during the last 3 decades. Tissue culture, cell culture, genetic modification all have increased the capability of mankind to evolve better quality seeds and planting materials with different desirable characteristics. Thousands of Biotechnology companies and public funded breeding organizations were actively pursuing R & D and production of biotechnology based products. In early nineties there were about 1000 biotech upstarts trying their hand on commercial application of biotechnology in agriculture but to day a dozen big companies have cornered more than 75% of revenue, remaining being shared by hundreds of smaller firms still engaged in this business. Becoming big and bigger and edging out small ones have resulted in cartelization and monopolistic vice grip on the agriculture, agri-chemicals and pharmaceutical areas. Top 10 companies globally control 55% of drug market. Similarly 10 top companies account for more than 90% sales of agri-chemicals.

What is worrisome is not the profits earned by these monopolists but how the world resources get concentrated in a few private players edging out millions of small and marginal farmers, besides propagating systems that consume more fossil fuels and cause uncontrolled green house gas emissions. Almost 30% of worlds biomass has already been 'commodified' to earn greater returns for the speculators and major biotech players. It is a question of time before the rest is also commodified by deploying high end genetic engineering and new corporate strategies by the biotech monoliths. With fossil fuel future uncertain, major efforts will be mounted in the coming years to create designer microorganisms based on synthetic DNA and such biological manufacturing platforms can make fuels, chemicals, drugs and high value products using plant derived sugars. One of the predictions being made so often these days is that the 21st century will see the sugar economy taking over the primary responsibility for industrial production based on biological feed stocks such as agricultural crops, grasses, forest residues, plant oils, algae etc. Synthetic microbes will become 'living chemical factories" that require massive quantities of plant biomass which will be generated using energy intensive technologies by giant corporates with unlimited resources.

It is well known that 25% of the proprietary seeds marketed to day comes from single US-based company, Monsanto Chemicals. Though remaining 75% are raised locally by millions of farmers in their impoverished lands, the declining productivity is bound to push these farmers into the fold of GM giants like Monsanto in the coming years enabling the latter to control the nature the way they want. In the retail sector the consumers in developed countries are patronizing big players like Wal Marts controlling about 15% of the food market. But fortunately 85% of the remaining foods are consumed close to the areas where they are grown. It is unlikely that big retailers will be able to emulate the records of their counterparts in the production front in view of the new focus on local foods globally. Probably the modern food technology may have to take part of the blame because technologies such as controlled atmosphere storage and transport systems have enabled the big industry to move the perishable foods over long distances for selling at far away markets with high margins.

If Biotechnological power does not percolate down to the farmimg community in poor countries of Asia, Africa and South America and if rich countries promote the interests of the large biotech companies ignoring the human catastrophic consequences that will follow, the future of mankind is indeed bleak. It is unfair to use WTO to harm the interests of poor farming nations by bringing agricultural production under its purview. It must confine itself to only trade related portfolio.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/