Social networks like the twitter are abuzz with thought for food, and the Greenpeace India is preparing to cook world’s biggest ‘baigan bharta,’ to create public opinion against genetically modified crops. While the debate over the Bt. Brinjal heats up, the case of the humble ‘baigan’ is widely seen as the precursor for a flood of GM crops. (See links below for a wider picture).

The Greenpeace has launched an on-line campaign to persuade Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh to protect the vegetable from the onslaught of the alleged American interests. The greens would prepare a bharta of 20,000 baigans to be served to Delhi’s poor, according to a Greenpeace release. Citizens can gift a ‘baigan’ for the bharta by signing the petition: http://greenpeace.in/safefood/the-biggest-baingan-bharta-ever/

Many farmers’ organisations have come out on the streets and some have burnt the effigy of the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) in the presence of the minister, according to media reports. The farmers have been quoted as saying that the Bt brinjal can not only create ecological problem through genetic contamination, but can also prove hazardous to human and animal health attributed to some studies by independent scientists. 

The Minister has been taking a safe public posture by urging the scientists to dispel doubts about GM crops. He supports the need for more experiments on human safety area. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a National Consultation Meet on Bt brinjal, he said Chief ministers of Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Kerala, Karnataka and Orissa have written to him for the need conduct more experiments.

Scientifically, BT brinjal is a transgenic brinjal created by inserting a gene cry1Ac from soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis into brinjal. The Bt brinjal is marketed in India by a US-based multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation and a Maharashtra-based Indian company.

(For full debate on the issue of GM foods and policy issues on Bt brinjal, and news about farmers’ and environmentalists’ protests, please see the following links)

Bt brinjal in a pickle, The Business Standard, 3 February, 2010, http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/bt-brinjal-inpickle/384431/ 

Ramesh heckled over Bt brinjal by Ashok Das, The Hindustan Times, 1 February, 2010, http://www.hindustantimes.com/Ramesh-heckled-over-Bt-brinjal/H1-Article1-503853.aspx

Protests mar debate on Bt brinjal by B Chandrashekhar, The Hindu, 1 February, 2010, http://www.hindu.com/2010/02/01/stories/2010020166391400.htm 

All you wanted to know about Bt brinjal, Rediff.com, 31 January, 2010, http://business.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/jan/27/slide-show-1-all-about-bt-brinjal.htm

Scientists slam Brinjal talk bazaar by GS Mudur, The Telegraph, 24 January, 2010, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100124/jsp/nation/story_12022778.jsp

Bihar says no to Bt brinjal, The Hindu, 7 January, 2010, http://www.hindu.com/2010/01/07/stories/2010010757612000.htm 

Bt brinjal: plea to Manmohan to withdraw report by Gargi Parsai, The Hindu, 1 January, 2010, http://www.hindu.com/2010/01/01/stories/2010010160551000.htm 
 
Genetic Engineering: Instrument of Western Agribusiness to Control India’s Food and Farming System by Bharat Dogra,
Mainstream, Vol XLVIII, No 1, December 26, 2009 - Annual Number 2009, http://mainstreamweekly.net/article1837.html 

Who owns the eggplant? by Latha Jishnu, The Business Standard, 10 December, 2009, http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/latha-jishnu-who-ownseggplant/379041/