Sangh-affiliate asks for Bhupender Yadav's 'immediate intervention', calls GM mustard increasing productivity unsubstantiated

Vibha Sharma

New Delhi, October 28

Sangh-affiliate Swadeshi Jagaran Manch has written to Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, calling it “unsubstantiated” that GM mustard will increase productivity, accusing the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), the regulatory body for gene technologies under him, of functioning in an “irresponsible fashion”, asking for his immediate intervention.

Terming as “untrue” claims it is ‘swadeshi’, SJM co-convener Ashwani Mahajan, in a hard-hitting letter following the GEAC environmental clearance to GM mustard, said: “Bayer owning the patent of the genes used in Professor Pental’s mustard has been concealed from the people of India”.

The GEAC has recommended the environmental release of GM mustard variety DMH (Dhara Mustard Hybrid)-11 (the variety shown to deliver 30 per cent higher yields than existing ones), paving the way for commercial use of the first GM food crop.

Mahajan also called “unsubstantiated and wrongly projected” the claim that GM mustard will increase domestic production and reduce our import dependence. 

“The government of India’s regulatory body for gene technologies is continuing to function in an irresponsible fashion. In its last meeting on October 18, 2022, they have cleared a GM food crop for cultivation in farmers’ fields in India, that too, a herbicide-tolerant mustard variety, after running the pretence of a review of GM mustard,” he said.  

Mahajan said nothing has changed from May 2017 when GEAC’s green signal for this “unsafe” GM mustard had to be stopped by the Centre, keeping in mind various concerns and serious issues pertaining to the crop. 

Not a single additional test has been done, nor a single question been answered scientifically about the safety or efficacy or need of the GM mustard, he added.

Mahajan also termed as “untrue” the claim that GM mustard is ‘swadeshi’ and has been developed in India. 

“We would like to bring it to your kind notice that in 2002, Proagro Seed Company (Bayer’s subsidiary), applied for a commercial approval for similar construct that Professor Pental and his team are now promoting as HT Mustard DMH 11. 

“Bayer’s application at that point of time was turned down because the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) said their field trials did not give evidence of superior yield. 

“As is well known, the hybridisation of GM mustard is achieved by means of the two genes- barnase and barstar, derived from a soil bacterium called bBacillus amyloliquefaciens. The bar-barstar-barnase gene is a patented technology of Bayer Crop Science. Bayer is not a swadeshi company. How can a product patented in their name be termed as swadeshi? 

“The fact that Bayer owns the patent of the genes used in Professor Pental’s mustard has been concealed from the people of India,” he added.

Mahajan also called “unsubstantiated and wrongly projected” the claim that GM mustard will increase domestic production and reduce our import dependence. 

“The GMO mustard has no yield advantage compared to indigenous hybrids. Data from Rapeseed Mustard Research (DRMR), Bharatpur, clearly shows that the claim of Professor Deepak Pantel that his GM mustard would increase yield by 26 per cent is deceptive and misleading as there are several existing hybrid varieties that outperform the transgenic variety DMH-11,” he said.

For reasons best known to the developer, the existence of better performing non-GM hybrids from his own stable has been concealed and he has chosen to falsify the data by comparing the yield performance of GM mustard with some of the very old varieties having lesser yield, he added. 

“Not only that GMO mustard is based on Bayer’s patented gene system for which royalty shall be paid, it is said to promote usage of glufosinate, a herbicide from which Bayer will benefit the most through its existing brands. 

“Therefore, it is evident beyond doubt that the nation would be seriously dependent upon the MNC for usage of patents and import of herbicides causing greater outflow of valuable foreign exchange from the country.

“It needs to be remembered that GM mustard has never been tested as a herbicide-tolerant crop at all, while even the development of this glufosinate-tolerant crop was in violation of India’s pesticides regulations. The yield data was rigged and evidence was shared with the regulators by alert citizens and experts.