DC discussions: Mahyco rules out GM risks

Kochi: The Mumbai-based Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company Pvt Ltd (Mahyco) has said the company has conducted all experiments in connection with the Bt brinjal in accordance with the required bio-safety protocols and safeguards. In a response to the article by Dr K.P. Prabhakaran Nair carried in this newspaper on Aug 22, 2017, Mahyco has said that all tests and trials were conducted under the guidance of the regulatory authorities.           

Denying several points contained in the article by Dr Nair, Mahyco stated that the company has served the Indian farmers for the past five decades. Key points in the Mahyco statement are as follows.          

1. No subsidiary of Monsanto

Mahyco is not an Indian subsidiary of Monsanto. It is a pioneering and innovative Indian seed company with an independent research effort and has been serving the Indian farmers for over five decades. Monsanto only has a minority stake of 26 percent in Mahyco and did not play any role in the development of Bt Brinjal technology.

All the bio-safety tests and trials were conducted under the guidance of Regulatory body of Government of India as per the protocol. 

2. No fraudulent data
 
Bt brinjal has undergone comprehensive lab and field bio-safety studies including food and feed studies, over a period of eight years to test the impact on safety.

These studies were conducted in the country as per internationally accepted guidelines, and as per the protocol provided by the Apex regulatory body of Government of India. These results are available on government’s website and can be accessed on the following link:

http://envfor.nic.in/sites/default/files/geac/bt_brinjal.html. 
Hence the author’s claim that the company provided fraudulent data is baseless and an attempt at defamation. 

3) Successful  Bengladesh model

Bt brinjal technology was shared by Mahyco with Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute and the same has been commercialised by Government of Bangladesh during October 2013. Since then more and more farmers have been cultivating Bt Brinjal in Bangladesh every year. During the current season, as per the media reports, over 6000 farmers have been growing Bt Brinjal in Bangladesh deriving benefits from this breakthrough technology.

The indefinite moratorium on bt brinjal says it all: Dr Nair

Denying any attempt of defamation, Dr Prabhakaran Nair pointed out that the indefinite moratorium imposed on Bt brinjal by the Union government is a clear vindication of the concerns raised by several people in the matter. 
Key points in the response of Dr Nair:       

1) Breach of safety  protocols

Several details of the breach of safety protocols in the lab data supplied by Mahyco was examined by the Independent Expert Committee, comprising of eminent members, and the report submitted to the Supreme Court in October 2009.
 
2) The dubious stake
Why does Monsanto have 26 percent stake in Mahyco?

3) No gene tampering for brinjal

Bangladesh Council of Agricultural Research has breached the basic scientific tenet of GM technology, as that is also the place of origin (as part of South Asia) for brinjal. 

And hence, no gene tampering should be done there.  The government of India has put an indefinite moratorium on Bt brinjal, which speaks for itself.

Against the background of the above details, the article is not an attempt at defamation, as alleged, and the undersigned refutes all the insinuations, for misleading the public and tarnishing the scientific reputation of the undersigned, which might invite a legal notice, Dr Nair pointed out.