1. GM SEED
(Are we ready to re-establishing our relations with seeds?)
Kapil Shah
Member, National Taskforce on Organic and Chemical-fee agriculture
Govt. of India
National Secretary,
Organic Farming Association of India
Founder Trustee,
JATAN
Vinoba Ashram, Gotri, Vadodara
6. Size of the DNA of the all people of the world:
A Grain of chick pea
Length of the DNA of one person:
67 X 2 X Distance between Sun and Earth
7. 7
Plant
Transformation
Plant productivity
(Tolerance to abiotic stress and
Herbicide)
Nutritional value
(Protein, Lipid, Amino acid)
Agronomic traits
(Seed dormancy, disease resistance,
nematode resistance)
Phytoremidiation
(Salt tolerance, pollution removal)
Pharmaceutical compounds
(Antibody, vaccine, therapeutic protein)
Metabolic pathway regulation
(Nutrient capture carbohydrate or
Plant oil production)
Novel traits
( Fruit ripening, flower colour)
Why alter plants?
8. Pesticide Producing (Bt)
Purpose
• Make plants resistant to a specific pest eg
bollworm for cotton
Short Term Benefits
• Decrease target pest and reduce loss of
crop to it
• Reduce insecticide use and cost initially
for main target pest
Long Term Consequences
• Resistance develops by target pest.
• Great increase in new insect pests eg
whiteflies & other sucking pests
• Farmers put on a costly technology treadmill
of buying new GM seeds each year
Other possible impacts
Herbicide Tolerating (HT)
Purpose
• Control weeds without damaging crops
Short Term Benefits
• Labour costs reduced for huge farms of
US, Brazil, Argentina etc
• Ease of spraying since all other plants
die, except the crop
Long Term Consequence
• Plant absorbs the herbicide and this enters
the human food system
• Herbicide Resistant weeds multiply
greatly result is more weedicide purchase
Other possible impacts
• Sickness by herbicides in air, water, food
• Pest controlling insects killed eg
9. Herbicide Is Sprayed Liberally
on Herbicide Tolerant (HT) Crops
183 Million Kg Increase in Pesticides
in USA in 16 Years was due to GM
GLYPHOSATE (HERBICIDE) USE INCREASED
BY 239 MILLION KG WHILE INSECTICIDES
DECREASED BY ONLY 56 MILLION KG
(Based on USDA data, 2003 ).
10. ‘SUPERWEEDS’
Over 20 glyphosate
resistant weeds in USA.
Horseweed is one…..
Grows huge
Nightmare for
farmers
What do farmers do ?
Spray more
glyphosate.
Spray more toxic
herbicide cocktails.
Cut by hand.
Abandon field.
11. Constant Exposure to Glyphosate (herbicide) Results in
‘Superweeds’ Growing Rapidly. Over 33% of US Farmland Affected.
32.6
40.7
61.2
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
2010 2011 2012
Million
acres
Stratus AgriMarketing Report
12. 0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
ValueofInsecticidesinCrores
Insecticides used for Bollworms Insecticides used for Sucking pests Total insecticides on cotton
Source: Dr. K.R. Kranthi, Director , Central Institute of Cotton Research
DO GM Bt CROPS REDUCE INSECTICIDES ?
Value of Insecticides on cotton in India (2002-13)
Bollworm decreased with Bt . Other pests increased.
17. IN USA ESTIMATED 70% OF STORE FOOD HAS GM.
GM CORN SYRUP AND SOY OIL WIDELY USED
GM AND CHEMICALS TRANSMITTED TO FOETUS
OF 17 MOST DEVELOPED NATIONS, USA IS LEAST
HEALTHY. POST 1966 SHARP INCREASE IN USA OF :
Autism, ADHD, Alzheimers, Asthma, Autoimmune
diseases, Cancers, Diabetes, Infertility, Liver and Kidney
Damage, Obesity, Thyroid Disorders.
CLAIM THAT GM IS SAFE IS QUESTIONABLE SINCE….
LIKE TOBACCO, EFFECTS OF GM WILL TAKE LONG TO SHOW. DOCTORS REPORT
ARE GM FOODS SAFE ?
18. GM Approvals require 90 days studies on rodents ie < 12 human
years. Dr Seralini’s study showed organ damage, huge increase in
tumours and high mortality appearing after 90 days. Study attacked.
Publisher withdrew study. Hundreds of scientists protested this
Tumours in landmark Study of 2 Years…instead of 90 days
19. IN 2015, GLYPHOSATE
( USED IN MONSANTO’S ‘ROUND UP’
HERBICIDE & WITH IT’S HT SEEDS)
CLASSIFIED BY THE WHO AS
“PROBABLY CARCINOGENIC
TO HUMANS”
30,000 Doctors & Medical
Professionals Association in
Argentina called for ban on
GM soy as birth defects and
20. Economic Impacts of GM Crops
• IMPORTS REFUSED by countries which do not grow GM, if there is any GM
contamination or if GM crop of that variety .
• HUGE LOSSES TO US RICE & WHEAT FARMERS as loss of exports as traces
found from GM Field Trial crops, supposedly destroyed
• INDIA’S ORGANIC COTTON EXPORTS WERE DAMAGED BY GM contamination.
India had become the world’s largest exporter.
• FARMERS & INDIAN ECONOMY IMPACTED High cost of seeds & chemical
fertilisers = high debt & suicides OR Loan Waivers.
• SEED DIVERSITY AND SELF RELIANCE LOST as GM takes over.
21. Why Should GM Field Trials Stop ?
Lab or Greenhouse Trials are not risky. In Field Trials contamination
occurs by pollen flow, admixture. No deterrent liabilities exist.
TOP COMMITTEES’ FINDINGS
• India’s Joint Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture
unanimously found regulatory failures, high risks, poor benefits.
Called for moratorium on GM crops & GM Field Trials (2012)
• Supreme Court appointed Technical Expert Committee in 2013
has called for :
Ban on all Herbicide Tolerant GM Crops
Ban on crops where India is Centre of Origin
22. Over 400 peer reviewed
scientific studies on ‘ADVERSE
IMPACTS OF TRANSGENIC
CROPS/FOODS’ can be
accessed at :
www.indiagminfo.org
Latest edition of
‘GMO MYTHS AND TRUTHS’
Over 400 Scientific Studies on Hazards of GM Crops
23. Crops Pending for GM Approval in India
GM Mustard is the Start for More GM Crops
Rice
Wheat
Jowar
Corn
Groundnut
Mustard
Potato
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Brinjal
Okra
Papaya
Watermelon
Sugarcane
24. 3
major
crops
30 ‘feed the world”
200 recorded in statistics
7,000 plant species utilised
30,000 plant species edible
300,000 plant species documented
400,000 plant species estimated world-wide
The Green Revolution has contributed to the narrowing of the genetic base of cultivated crops and
loss of on-farm diversity due to the intensification and simplification of agriculture.
Narrowingofspecies
diversity
PGR contributed to Green Revolution
26. US Patent No. : 57,23,765
Terminator Technology
Killing the basic Instinct of Survival
27. 27
LARGEST PESTICIDE Cos..
Bayer
Syngenta,
BASF
DOW
Monsanto
Dupont
LARGEST GM SEED Cos….
Monsanto
Dupont (Pioneer)
Syngenta
DOW
BASF
Bayer
Herbicide Tolerant
GM Seeds tolerate use
of herbicides…..
But Result is…..
Increased use of herbicides.
28. GM MUSTARD
Mustard leaves, seeds and oil important food and medicine in India
Opposed by Farmer Unions, Beekeepers, State Govts, Scientists etc
If GM mustard approved, it will be first GM food crop in India
Will open door to other GM crops in pipeline
Has herbicide tolerant gene. Will lead to increased herbicide use.
HONEY BEES AND MUSTARD
• Mustard pollen major food for
honey bees.
• GM will contaminate honey
• Millions of bee & butterfly
29. Flaws in GM Mustard Approval
.
Biosafety data not made available for independent
scrutiny. Bt brinjal showed up flaws when scrutinised.
Herbicide use will occur, but not tested as HT crop
Impact on Honey bees not fully studied.
India is Centre of Diversity. Violates UN and TEC norms
31. WHAT IS THE VIEW ON GM
BY WORLD’S LARGEST AGRICULTURAL STUDY ?
IAASTD STUDY, done for World Bank and United
Nations, by 400 scientists from > 50 countries, says:
“such techniques as genetic engineering are no
solution for soaring food prices, hunger and poverty.”
“Agro Ecology done by small farmers is best approach
for removing hunger, poverty and inequity.”
FAO Study, by its Special Raconteur on Food, found:
“289 AGRO ECOLOGY projects in 57 countries increased
32. NON PESTICIDAL MANAGEMENT (NPM) IN ANDHRA
10,000 NPM villages with Govt support. Pesticide and
fertiliser use halved in AP. Village could save Rs 60 lakhs.
ASSOCHAM STUDY for West Bengal, says organic farming
over 5 years would result in :
Increase in farmer incomes by 250%
Exports worth Rs 5.5 billion
Wealth accumulation of Rs 120 billion
Increase in employment by 20 lakhs
SOME INDIAN EXAMPLES
33. ORGANIC DEMAND GROWING at > 25% pa globally.
India has 6,00,000 of world’s 16,00,000 organic farmers.
We became world’s largest organic cotton exporter
Largest organic soya supplier to USA….
A TRUE ‘MAKE IN INDIA’ OPPORTUNITY!
Govt Must Promote Better Options
34. Indian farmers can be highly innovative.
An Indian organic farmer broke world records for rice yields.
GM rice if it is approved will be a risk for India’s farming.
35. We can STOP use of DDT
We can STOP use of CFCs
We can recall exotic cattle breeds
We can NOT recall
GM seeds
CAN WE AFFORD REPEATING THE MISTAKE?
GM seeds are Irreversible
36.
37.
38. Best Technology ? Will INDIA be Left Behind ?
Since 1996: Only 6 Countries have 90% of World’s GM Area.
USA 40%
Brazil 23%
Argentina 14%
Canada 6%
India 6%
China 2%
Other 21 Countries
9%
Data sourced from FAO and ISAAA reports
STATUS AFTER 20 YEARS :
< 4% OF AGRIC LAND
39. • 17 OUT OF 20 MOST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES DON’T GROW GM:
Almost all countries in Europe, Japan, Russia, Israel, Singapore etc
• CHINA, ONE OF THE FIRST, IS NOW GOING SLOW ON GM
- Has cancelled field trials of GM rice and corn.
- Banned GM food for its army .
- Grows GM on only one third the area as India.
• IN 2015 8 COUNTRIES REDUCED GM AREA (Incl. USA, Canada, China).
16 COUNTRIES STAGNANT.
4 COUNTRIES INCREASED
Who is NOT Growing GM Crops ?
