Mahila Kisan Union opposes decision to allow genetically modified mustard; urges Centre to withdraw

JALANDHAR: Mahila Kisan Union, an affiliate of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, has denounced the recent decision of the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee of the Union Environment Ministry to allow the production of genetically modified (GM) mustard seeds and termed it hazardous and unsafe to humans, environment, biodiversity and agriculture.

The farmer outfit held that this approval would establish monopoly of seed companies being run by MNCs and open flood gates for introduction of more GMs crops in future. “Central government is extending rewards to its privileged corporate companies and creating hindrance for cultivators,” said MKU president Rajwinder Kaur Raju.

“Earlier decisions pertaining to allowing GM seeds were widely criticized and opposed as the GM crops and the food were found to be unsafe, toxic and life threatening, for which the government had withdrew its decision,” she said.

Strongly condemning the approval of organically modified seeds she bemoaned that the experience of sowing BT cotton had also proved to be very fatal for the farmers of the country due to the emergence of new diseases every year on the BT cotton. “Subsequently, the growers have been using pesticides indiscriminately to save their crops and were committing suicides due to high indebtness for expensive farming,” the woman farm leader said.

She demanded immediate intervention of the central government to withdraw this “unscientific decision as GM mustard cultivation would result in poisonous hybrid crop.”

“The transgenic hybrid mustard is herbicide tolerant that would lead to increase in spraying of toxic chemicals on the crop. Thereby Glyphosate and cancer-causing carcinogenic substances would assimilate into human food and soil, and affect the health of humans and animals. BJP government at the Center is taking autocratic decisions regarding agriculture that would certainly devastate farming community,” she alleged, adding, “The farmers' unions had earlier opposed strongly to allow GM seeds and would resist this time also for bestowing monopoly to corporate firms in production of seeds.”