RASHME SEHGAL

Did the arrival of US diplomat Nina Fedoroff, science and technology adviser to secretary of state Hillary Clinton in New Delhi on Monday evening force Union minister of environment Jairam Ramesh prepone his decision to put a moratorium on Bt Brinjal by a day?

The moratorium should be seen as something that will encourage science to succeed.

THRISSUR: Cabbage and cauliflower are vegetables traditionally grown in the winter season on the Northern plains and in the high altitude areas in the South.

But, with the advent of tropical varieties which can form marketable 'heads and curds' even at temperatures as high as 35o C, cultivation of these crops is possible now even on the tropical plains of Kerala.

RASHME SEHGAL

The ordinary brinjal has won the day. Mounting pressure forced Union forests and environment minister Jairam Ramesh to revoke the decision of the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee on Tuesday and defer commercial cultivation of what could have been India's first genetically modified vegetable crop.

THE APPROVAL of Bt Brinjal by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) has exposed the unscientific basis on which genetically-engineered crops are being commercialised, and it raises questions about the entire bio-safety process.

NEW DELHI: India needs an independent biotechnology regulator and a transparent testing system, according to Union Minister of State for Environment Jairam Ramesh, who declared a moratorium on Bt brinjal on Tuesday.