www.checkbiotech.org ; www.raupp.info ; www.czu.cz

The Union commerce ministry has decided to intervene and ask the Genetic
Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) not to approve field trials of
genetically modified (GM) crops in Basmati rice growing states of Punjab,
Haryana, Uttarakhand and western Uttar Pradesh, February 2007 by Ashok B
Sharma.

The consensus emerged at a recent meeting of stakeholders convened by the
commerce ministry. The meeting among others were attended by the chairman of
Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority (Apeda), Sashi
Sareen of Export Inspection Council of India, advisor to the department of
biotechnology, KK Tripathi and representatives of the All India Rice
Exporters Association (Airea).

The meeting also decided to ask GEAC not to approve field trials of GM crops
in all the 60 agri export zones (AEZs). Apeda has been asked to submit a
detail list of 60 AEZs.

Speaking to FE, the Airea executive director, Anil Adlakha said, ?We are
neither against nor in favour of GM crops. Our concern is maintaining the
country?s export prospects. Recently when the US and Chinese rice were
contaminated with GM trace, major importing countries refused rice
consignments from these two countries. The US rice industry is reeling under
heavy losses. We do not want such a situation to occur in India.?

Saying that the exporters? concern was to keep all AEZs safe from any
possible contamination by GM crop field trial, Adlakha said, ?We suggested a
transparent and scientific procedure for such field trials and that the GM
crop field trials should be conducted under a validated event-specific
protocol and in a transparent manner. The trials should be conducted by a
lead scientist whose details should be disclosed,? he said.

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