Tell govts. not to sanction bio-tech. products, UN urged

By Our Staff Correspondent

CHITRADURGA, AUG. 29. About 300 scientists have conveyed their concern to the United Nations about the threats the latest developments in the field of bio-technology may cause to humanity, according to Dr. T.N.Prakash, an Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, here on Monday.

Addressing farmers at a meeting organised by the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, Dr. Prakash said that the scientists had urged the United Nations to pressure the governments of the world not to release bio-technology products for another five years.

Giving details of the letter, he said that the scientists had opposed any company or country claiming patent over molecule of any organism. They had asked the international body to place its food security plan before the people, he said.

He said that bio-technology would bring more hazards not only to the agriculture sector but also to the health of human beings. Quoting a report, he said the use of bio-technology products had resulted in Eosinophilia Myangia Syndrome among the Japanese. The doctors had not yet been able to diagnose the exact nature of the disease. But it had been reported that it affected digestion and caused fever.

According to the report, Dr. Prakash said, the use of bio- technology products will pave the way for increase in epidemics such as malaria, tuberculosis and Hepatitis B.

He said that coffee, tea, sugar, cotton, rubber, rice, banana, coca, oil palm and tobacco were the major agricultural products being exported from developing countries such as India.

These products constituted 60 per cent of the agricultural products being exported in the world. They were being subjected into bio-technology tests by developed countries on a large scale.

He said that considering the health hazards it could bring Europe had boycotted the use of bio-technology products.

Dr. Prakash said that it was necessary to make use of the indigenous technology first. He regretted that not much experiments were taking place on the use of indigenous technology available in the country.

Problems of `Green Revolution'

He said that even scientists had now understood the problems "Green Revolution" brought to India. Quoting a book, "Bio- technology and future of agriculture", he said that scientists had now agreed that the "Green Revolution" could succeed only up to 30 per cent.

Dr. Prakash said that bio-technology and the WTO were directly related. Globalisation had paved the way for the emergence of bio-technology. Intellectual property rights or patent and bio- technology were interlinked.

Referring to a particular company, he alleged that it wanted to control farmers by producing Bt cotton. The molecule in Bt cotton that acted as a pest repellent could slowly affect other living organisms and would pose health hazard.

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