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

India will soon start cultivating crops of insect-tolerant brinjals and rice
as a group of scientists with a seed firm are close to developing a genetic
technology.
The new technology for developing insect-tolerant food and vegetables would
help in making available qualitative and nutritious food available to
India's fast growing population at cheaper rate, Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds
Company Ltd (Mahyco) said in a statement Sunday.

'China has developed many insect-tolerant crops to reduce the environmental
burden of pesticides that will be commercialised shortly. Now India too is
not far behind as Mahyco scientists are close to achieving success,' Usha
Barwale Zehr, joint director (research), said in the statement.

'Mahyco has completed extensive animal testing studies and food and feed
safety studies in laboratories with fruit and shoot borer (FSB) as part of
the regulatory requirements. These studies have shown encouraging results to
develop a technology for insect-tolerant brinjal and rice crops,' Zehr said.

'Initial multi-location trials have been completed for the rice that is
cultivated in about 44 million hectares in India and the bio-safety package
is being completed,' the statement read.

Mahyco, established in 1964, is engaged in research, production, processing
and marketing of 115 products in 30 crop species including cereals, oilseeds
and vegetables.

[www.indiaenews.com]