One of the claims Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh made to justify his freeze on Bt brinjal was that the Bt gene would

Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh

A unique festival that celebrated the diversity of brinjal was held in the heritage city of Mysore on 13 December, 2009. Called the

Brinjal or eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is an important solanaceous crop of sub-tropics and tropics. The name brinjal is popular in Indian subcontinents and is derived from Arabic and Sanskrit whereas the name eggplant has been derived from the shape of the fruit of some varieties, which are white and

In 2006, India proposed a draft rule requiring the labeling of all genetically modified (GM) foods and products derived thereof. This paper assesses the economic implications of introducing such a mandatory labeling policy for GM food. Focuses on four products that would likely be the first affected by such a regulation in India: cottonseed oil, soybean oil, brinjal (eggplant), and rice.

Safety studies are essential before GM crops are approved

Genetic Crops: Foods In The Pipeline
Cotton

Status: Being grown in over 80% of cotton acreage
Impact: Cottonseed oil has already entered the food chain
Brinjal

Status: Large-scale field trials completed in 11 locations
Impact: Data from field trials being reviewed, could get green signal soon
Mustard

Status: Slipped off the radar after biosafety concerns
Impact: Research under way

Chronic health effects are increasing in the world such as cancers, hormonal, reproductive, nervous, or immune diseases, even in young people. During regulatory toxicological subchronic tests to prevent these on mammalian health, prior commercialization of chemicals, including pesticides and drugs, or GMOs, some statistically significant findings may be revealed.

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