-Caveat Lector- CANCEL MONSANTO LICENCE: GENE CAMPAIGN The Pioneer http://www.the-pioneer.com/ Wednesday, December 2, 1998 The Gene Campaign, an organisation fighting for the protection of rights of Indian farmers, has urged the Union government to cancel the licence granted to the US-based multinational Monsanto to conduct field trials as it "lacked transparency in its operations.'' Gene Campaign convenor Suman Sahai, in a statement here, said the interests and goals of Indian agriculture and Monsanto company were diametrically opposite and the latter was in the process of terminator technology for self destructing seeds. "What is good for monsanto is not good for us." Our goals are food and nutritional security for our people and maintaining genetic diversity and easy availability of seeds in all agro-climatic zones," Dr Sahai added. Dr Sahai, a noted bio-technologist, questioned the motives of Monsanto conducting field trials on cotton crop in 40 places in India when it could conduct similar tests in the US which had five times more agricultural land where the BT cotton variety was developed. "Probably, to escape the critical scrutiny and expensive field trials, that company had selected India." Dr Sahai said the gene terminator technology was against nature and was one of the "most dangerous developments'' in agriculture. "There can be nothing more perverse in the field of agriculture than to create seeds that were sterile,'' she said. ``By throwing out the US-based multinational, India must send a message to others that the country was not a dumping ground for toxic wastes, untested vaccines or undesirable seeds,'' Dr Sahai added. PTI adds from Hyderabad: Monsanto India and Maycho on Tuesday ruled out the use of terminator gene technology in its ongoing field trials, with genetically-improved bollgard cotton crops either now or in future. ``We are only using a bacterium from the soil called BT (bacillus thuringiensis) to protect cotton ball from the dreaded bollworm. It is a more cost effective method for Indian farmers than using insecticides,'' said Mr M K Sharma, managing director, Mahyco, and Monsanto manager V Meena. The selective field trials-cum-demonstrations at 41 places and would always be fully in accordance with the statutory requirements and guidelines spelled out by the department of biotechnology, they said. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
