BHUBANESWAR, 8 JUNE: Living Farms, the organisation spearheading the movement against agrochemical TNCs, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and chemical pesticides, has urged the CM Mr Naveen Patnaik to conduct a transparent public debate among various stock-holders over the approval of Bt Cotton in the state.
Bt Cotton is a genetically modified strand of cotton, which has been said to deter pests. In a memorandum submitted to the chief
minister recently, the organisation alleged that there is a clandestine attempt to regularise the currently illegal Bt Cotton cultivation in Orissa under the plea that it is not a food crop.
“Health-wise, this crop poses a threat both to humans and animals. While animals have been affected worldwide, dying in large numbers after grazing on Bt Cotton fields, human allergies have become synonymous with this crop,” pointed out Mr Debjeet Sarangi and Mr Jagannath Chatterjee in the memorandum.
“What is most worrying is that cottonseed oil is used as a base for all kinds of edible refined oil. Also, doctors have already pointed out that bandages and gauze made out of Bt Cotton for use in hospitals may pose a health hazard for patients,” they noted.
Maintaining that the field trial of Bt Cotton by a certain institute has purportedly given a clean chit to this controversial crop, they charged that the institute had secretly only tested the yield of the crop, so producing unrepresentative results. “The yield of Bt Cotton is based upon the hybrid or high yielding variety that is used for inserting the Bt gene. It has absolutely nothing to do with the process or effect of introducing the Bt gene,” they said. The field trial did not prove that Bt Cotton has succeeded in warding off pests, they said.