For the first time, illegal cultivation of a genetically modified (GM) food crop — GM Soyabean — which is herbicide tolerant (HT), has been reported from Aravalli district in Gujarat [India]. Bhartiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), a national farmers organization, has claimed that Gujarat farmers have been cultivating herbicide tolerant (HT) crop illegally as there is no clearance from the government for any GM food crop yet.
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“The HT soyabean was cultivated this year in three villages in the Modasa taluka in Aravalli district in Gujarat. The farmers produced three tonnes of the soyabean. Someone had given the farmers a buy back guarantee at four times the price of the soyabean in the market. This became the talk of the town and BKS came to know about it. We informed the state agriculture department which enquired into the issue and seized the seed material on Diwali day. The test results by government lab were found to be positive for the Roundup (glyphosate -the herbicide) of Monsanto,” said [BKS general secretary Badrinarayan Chaudhadry].
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The Maharashtra agriculture minister Pandurang Phundkar and the state agriculture commissioner Sachindra Singh said that the government would set up an enquiry at the earliest on the issue as Maharashtra has a huge area (about 12 lakh hectare) under soybean.
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post: GM soyabean being cultivated illegally in Guj: Farmer group
