Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Nov 18: National assistant convener of Swadeshi Jagran Manch, Prof B M Kumaraswami, alleged that multi-national companies have been planning to take over the food market of the country by feeding poison to the people, by genetically modifying the vegetables and fruits that are in existence since hundreds of years, through Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) technology.

He was speaking, after participating as resource person, in a workshop on ‘dangers posed by genetically modified food – protection thereof’ organized under the aegis of Nagarika Seva Trust and other organizations at Rotary Bal Bhavan Mannagudda here, on Tuesday November 17.

“It is to be noted that most of the over 2.5 lac farmers who committed suicide in the country since 1995, were those who grew BT cotton in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, and plunged into deep trouble. Although chemical fertilizers were introduced through the Green Revolution of the 1960s, within 30 years, people came to know that they spell doom for agriculture. People are now returning to organic farming. As such, people are now not in a position to repose trust on the BT technology,” he felt. Noting that it is but natural for the food crops, fruits and vegetables etc., to get affected by insects, he expressed the doubt that an international company has been trying to exaggerate this problem in order to market the genetically modified food crops which it claims, do not get affected by insects. “We should be careful of the plans to feed poison to us,” he reiterated.

The poisonous chemical process involving ingesting of a substance found in the cells of insects into vegetables and fruits, will affect the health of the people in future. The scientists too have been trying to poison the people by falling prey to the selfish aims of a foreign company. BT is not a technology which can be decided by scientists alone. It should be introduced only after collecting the opinions of those who eat the products, he said angrily.

Both Usha S, director of ‘Talaan’ Thiruvanantapuram, and Vanaja Ramprasad, also said that BT technology has the potential to destroy different species of vegetables in course of time and that they are not fit for countries like India where farmers have small holdings, rendering it impossible for the growers to stick to the distance between crops to be maintained, cropping pattern and other conditions that come with the BT technology.

Vittal Shetty, a farmer, inaugurated the programme, by handing over the famous ‘Matti Gulla’ to those present. He lamented the fact that the politicians, who habitually extend their stretched palms for collecting votes, are now outstretching them before other countries for food. He asked the peoples’ representatives to retain the traditional ways of farming and not to allow genetically engineered and modified species to enter India.

President of Nagarika Seva Trust, K Somanath Nayak, welcomed. Vice president, Vidya Nayak, presented the programme.