What are Bt Brinjal and Bt Cotton – Current GK

Last updated: February 9, 2010 by +Sarbjit

With the news that government of India has deferred the large scale production of Bt Brinjal another controversy has cropped up. Read on...

Introduction:

Bt refers to Bacillus Thuringiensis.

Origin:

Bt brinjal is a genetically modified variety of brinjal developed in India. Mahyco, India’s top seed producer has developed it in collaboration with American multinational Monsanto.

Bt brinjal is created by introducing a gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis into the DNA or genetic code of the vegetable to produce pesticidal toxins in every cell.

GEAC (Genetic Engineering Approval Committee ) approved introduction of Bt brinjal in October 2009, making it the first genetically modified food crop to be allowed in India.

Aim:

The aim was to provide a brinjal variety that would increase yield and cut cost. Bt brinjal is developed to resist insects and pests like “Brinjal Fruit and Shoot Borer” (BFSB).

The Controversy:

Many have questioned the safety of Bt brinjal consumption. People are divided whether it is fit for human consumption or not. Tests have shown that GM (genetically modified) crops could prove be fatal in the long run. Proper research should be done before large scale production. Many states like Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Kerala do not approve using Bt Brinjal.

Some allege GEAC is a biased towards MNCs like the Monsanto, which sells 90 per cent of the world's genetically engineered seeds. MNCs like Monsanto, DuPont, Syngenta, Bayer and Dow dominate the GM seeds market.

Bt cotton – A Failure?

Bt cotton introduced in March 2002, proved to be a failure against bollworms. Ironically, it was developed to save cotton from Bollworms. In fact new pests and diseases emerged with Bt cotton. Madhya Pradesh, a mojor cotton-growing state in India, witnessed total failure of genetically modified Bt cotton.

Farmer who used the new seeds suffered heavy loss as the seeds were very expensive.

Read more at: India Says no to Bt Brinjal