6 months ago
1
More than six years aft the Haryana authorities destroyed a banned, genetically modified (GM) Bt brinjal harvest successful Fatehabad district’s Nathwan colony pursuing an outcry by biology activists, the root of the seeds remains a mystery.
Responses to aggregate RTIs filed by The Hindu amusement the authorities is yet to find however the prohibited assortment entered the unfastened market.
A Horticulture Department authoritative said they had undertaken the “necessary steps nether our ambit and power”, referring to the demolition of the harvest connected fractional an acre of onshore cultivated by husbandman Jeevan connected May 17, 2019. However, activists who were instrumental successful calling attraction to the contented accused the authorities of “adopting a casual attack towards a superior problem”.
“The government’s assertion that the husbandman whose tract was identified arsenic increasing the amerciable harvest was the lone 1 to bash truthful is absurd. Neither tin the husbandman make specified effect successful his backyard nor tin helium person a privileged narration with effect developers to beryllium bestowed exclusive entree of increasing their proprietary seed,” said Rajinder Chaudhary, a erstwhile Professor successful the Department of Economics with M.D. University, Rohtak.
The commercialized cultivation of Bt brinjal is banned successful India.
The background
In May 2019, erstwhile activists flagged the issue, Haryana’s Biotechnology Coordination Committee, which monitors activities related to GM organisms, projected destroying the crop. Following this, the harvest was uprooted and buried to debar contamination.
When questioned, Mr. Jeevan, who bought the saplings of brinjal successful December 2017, told the authorities that helium was not alert that the saplings were of GM variety. He said the seeds were procured from a roadside vendor.
In effect to an RTI query connected whether immoderate probe had been conducted successful the case, the Environment and Climate Change Department said it wrote to the Horticulture Department doubly successful 2019 — successful July and August — seeking details of those against whom enactment needed to beryllium initiated. On some occasions, it added, the Horticulture Department denied accusation regarding the root of the effect and did not uncover the sanction of immoderate farmer.
“No further connection successful this respect has been received from the Horticulture Department, Haryana, till now,” work the reply shared with The Hindu on October 31, 2025.
However, successful a abstracted RTI response, the District Horticulture Officer, Fatehabad, connected October 17, identified the farmer, but said determination were nary details astir the root of the GM seed.
“In the twelvemonth 2019, Bt brinjal was cultivated by a farmer, Mr. Jeevan, lad of Mr. Ishar of colony Ratia successful Fatehabad district, and determination is nary accusation disposable successful the bureau records astir wherever this husbandman got these saplings from,” it read. When reached for comment, Horticulture Department Director General Ranbir Singh said they had shared details of the husbandman who cultivated the harvest with the Environment Department successful November 2019.
“However, the root from whom the husbandman purchased the brinjal saplings remains unknown. We person taken the indispensable steps nether our ambit and power,” helium said.
In 2019, officials from the Horticulture Department visited the tract and interacted with farmers. Following this, they submitted a report, suggesting that GM brinjal was not being cultivated successful different districts.
Fear of contamination
Farm and nutrient activists are disquieted astir the “casual attitude” of agencies towards nutrient safety. They judge that introducing transgenic assortment [whose genes person been altered] foods could contaminate the nutrient chain. “The authorities is duty-bound to support the situation and the wellness of consumers. However, it has failed connected some counts arsenic it has not taken enactment successful the substance adjacent six years later,” said Mr. Chaudhary, who is present associated with Kudrati Kheti Abhiyan, a voluntary radical that works towards promoting self-reliant integrated farming.
He added that until autarkic tests corroborate the information of the semipermanent usage of GM crops, the authorities indispensable not let them to contaminate the nutrient chain.
“Addressing biology and wellness concerns regarding transgenic nutrient indispensable beryllium the superior interest of the government. However, the contented does not look to beryllium connected its precedence list,” said Umendra Dutt of Kheti Virasat Mission, different organisation moving to beforehand integrated farming.
