Environment

Illegal Cultivation of Bt Brinjal

December 31 , 2019 1664 days 1281 0

Illegal Bt brinjal cultivation in Haryana have been confirmed recently.
The samples have also been sent by the Haryana Government to National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR).
India is the second largest producer of Brinjal after China.
These genetically modified brinjals Bt Brinjals were approved by Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) in 2009.
But it was turned down by the Environment Ministry in 2010.
The GEAC functions as a statutory body under the Environment Protection Act 1986 of the Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF).
Bt. cotton is the only Genetically Modified (GM) crop in India approved in 2002.
Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11 or DMH-11 is a genetically modified variety of mustard developed by the Delhi University’s Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants.
If approved by the Centre, this will be the second GM crop, after Bt Cotton, and the first transgenic food crop to be allowed for cultivation in the country.