Concerned citizens, agricultural scientist and activists met Chief Minister Rosaiah to discuss the position the state would take on the introduction of Bt Brinjal. 

The public consultation in Hyderabad is scheduled to take place on January 22nd, 2010. The prospect of commercial introduction of Bt brinjal has triggered widespread concerns across the state, and we are coming together today as
farmers’ mass organizations, consumer organizations, civil society groups working on food and agriculture issues, academic experts and health professionals, to urgently draw your attention to serious and irreversible problems that will be caused by Bt brinjal.

 - from letter to Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh on Bt Brinjal.

Submission on the issue of Bt Brinjal
Date: 9th January 2010
Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh,
Hyderabad 500001

Hon’ble Chief Minister Sri Rosaiah garu,
Sub: Introduction of genetically engineered Bt Brinjal into the market

The issue of permitting Bt Brinjal into the market has reached a critical decision-making stage, with
the Union Minister of Environment and Forests, Shri Jairam Ramesh, requesting for the opinions of
state governments and conducting a series of public consultations in January. Based on these, the
Ministry will make a determination on the matter. The public consultation in Hyderabad is
scheduled to take place on January 22nd, 2010. The prospect of commercial introduction of Bt
brinjal has triggered widespread concerns across the state, and we are coming together today as
farmers’ mass organizations, consumer organizations, civil society groups working on food and
agriculture issues, academic experts and health professionals, to urgently draw your attention to
serious and irreversible problems that will be caused by Bt brinjal.

We understand that Shri Jairam Ramesh has asked for the opinion and inputs from the various state
governments including Andhra Pradesh. Our sincere request for you is that the AP government
should send a clear response opposing the introduction of Bt brinjal in our state. The states of Bihar,
Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, West Bengal and Orissa have already submitted their
concerns to the Ministry, and expressed their unwillingness to allow Bt brinjal in their respective

We present our chief concerns to you below.

1. Bt brinjal is produced through genetic modification introducing a bacterial gene that causes the
brinjal plant to continuously produce the Bt toxin. The bio-safety of Bt brinjal to the
environment, the farm animals and most importantly the human consumers, has not been
established. Serious concerns remain about the effects on the soil fertility, soil microbial
activity, non-target insects and animals, and on human beings. It is completely unwise to allow
such a crop to be commercialized, which amounts to subjecting thousands of farmers and
millions of citizens to a gigantic laboratory experiment.

2. There is no felt need from the farmers for the Bt brinjal technology - it seems to be driven by
the needs of the companies. In India, Brinjal is grown in about 5.5 lakh acres of which majority
(more than 85 %) is grown in less than half acre that too in a mixed cropping or inter-cropping
pattern. There has never been a shortfall in production. High use of pesticide in brinjal is seen
but mostly in the mono-cropped conditions. Importantly, Andhra Pradesh is in the forefront of
Non-Pesticidal Management practices which can be used for effective management of the pests
in Brinjal. Our state is a pioneer in promoting the alternatives to chemical pesticides on a large
scale – now covering more than 10% of the cropping area under Indira Kranti Patham. This
includes thousands of farmers taking up vegetable cultivation including brinjal without use of
chemical pesticides. Therefore, all our farmers’ organizations and agriculture resource
organizations submit that there are effective, proven practices of cultivating Brinjal in our state,
and there is no need for Bt Brinjal.

3. The approval given by Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) based on the report of
expert committee has been extremely faulty and has created an uproar across the nation.
Serious issues of conflict of interest have been brought out regarding some members of the
expert committee. Prof. Arjula Reddy, chairperson of the expert committee, has publicly
acknowledged being under a lot of pressure to make a favorable decision, and has privately
admitted that based on current test data, he cannot be sure of the safety of Bt brinjal to the
environment or human health. Dr. Pushpa Bhargava, eminent scientist from CCMB Hyderabad
and special appointee by the Supreme Court to GEAC, has clearly explained the inadequacy of
the current testing mechanism and submitted a list of several important tests that have not
been performed. The already weak testing regime was further weakened by change of
regulations and new guidelines issued in 2008 which did not stipulate some bio-safety tests.

4. The problems faced with Bt cotton in Andhra Pradesh raise serious concerns about introducing
the same technology into a food crop like brinjal. Several hundred sheep deaths were reported
after grazing in Bt cotton fields, and the Director of the Animal Husbandry submitted the
concerns in writing to GEAC and issued a caution to all farmers in the state not to allow their
animals to graze in Bt cotton fields. While the research institutions have failed to investigate
and explain this phenomenon, this assumes new significance with Bt Brinjal because it is meant
for direct human consumption. It has also been proven that Bt cotton affects soil fertility and
soil microbial activity, and causes allergies to those working in the fields.

5. This technology will result in further domination by seed corporations including multinational
companies, now in the crucial area of food crops. The AP government had to take the fight to
the MRTP Commission, and come up with a new Act in order to address the unreasonable prices
of Bt cotton seeds. We also had to go through the bitter experience of farmers not getting
compensation till date for the faulty Bt cotton seeds from the same Mahyco Ltd which is now
planning to bring Bt brinjal into the market. Instead, the government and farmers have been
drawn into a still ongoing legal battle by the company, which is against the interests of our
farming community.

6. The issue of seed availability and seed prices has played a crucial role in the crisis being faced by
farmers, and this proprietary technology will further deepen the crisis by taking seeds out of the
farmers’ control. It has already been seen how non-Bt cotton seeds have been virtually driven
out of the market including that from the public sector. Similar disappearance of non-GM
varieties of brinjal and other food crops will mean a disaster to the farmers. At present, the
production, distribution and sale of seeds are regulated under the Seed Act of 1966, and this
particular Act of 1966 naturally does not have any provisions to regulate GM seeds. Since there
is no legal mechanism to rescue the farmer from any problems related to GM seed, this
technology should not be introduced until we have an up-to-date Seed Act with sufficient
regulatory provisions for GM seed.

7. Equally important are the concerns of the consumers. In view of the serious potential impacts of
Bt brinjal on human health, consumer organizations, public health professionals, doctors,
ayurvedic and homeopathic practitioners, and many civil society organizations have spoken out
vocally against its introduction into the market. Once it is released into the market, the
consumers will have no choice or ability to obtain non-Bt brinjal because of the impossibility of
labeling and the inevitable genetic contamination of regular brinjal. Therefore, this is a serious
infringement of consumer rights.
These issues have received extensive media coverage in Andhra Pradesh, and the average
citizen has reacted with outrage at this dangerous technology. In 2008, more than 5000 people
from Hyderabad city wrote to the Union Health Minister opposing the introduction of Bt brinjal.
The Brinjal festival in March 2009 and the media coverage drew the attention of millions of
people to the issue and generated enormous concern. Brinjal is the second most-consumed
vegetable in Andhra Pradesh and a classic favorite of the Telugu people. It would be a serious
outrage to go ahead with Bt brinjal in the face of widespread opposition from people of
different walks of life.

8. The introduction of Bt brinjal poses serious threat to the biodiversity, especially since India is
the country of origin of Brinjal. It is to be noted that once Bt brinjal is released into the open,
the process of contamination is not reversible. The mechanisms developed in the West for
preventing genetic contamination are not applicable in India, where most cultivation happens in
small plots of land which are contiguous. The impact on ecology including birds and insects is a
serious concern.

Detailed submissions regarding these and other concerns, with supporting documents including
published papers, have been prepared. In summary, the undersigned strongly believe that
introduction of Bt Brinjal is a threat to both farmers and consumers, is an enormous risk to the
environment, is unnecessary for both farmers and consumers, and is at variance with the state
government’s own experiences and assessments of the past. In short, it will be a disaster which will
be very difficult to reverse.

Therefore, we strongly urge the government of Andhra Pradesh to declare clear opposition to the
introduction of Bt Brinjal. Since this is an issue cutting across various departments such as
agriculture, health and environment, we respectfully urge you, Sir, as the Chief Minister, to take
leadership on this issue and take the stand against the introduction of Bt brinjal, by writing a letter
to the Govt. of India, opposing its introduction into the market and also the process of permission

Respectfully submitted,

Dr. Ramanjaneyulu, Centre for Sustainable Agriculture | 09440860274

Kodand Reddy, President, AP Kisan Cell | 09440422999
Akkineni Bhavani Prasad, Kisan Service Organization, AP | 09440422999
Kirankumar Vissa, Association for India’s Development (AID) 09701705743
Dr. Uma Shankari, Rashtriya Raithu Seva Samiti | 09989798493
G. R. Dharmendar, Centre for Sustainable Agriculture | 09866508488