PCA blamed the government for colluding in 2010 (which led to the then forest and environment minister Jairam Ramesh's decision to delay its commercialisation), not bringing up the issue in Parliament, and introducing a policy that favoured the controversial Monsanto and ignored the interests of small and marginal farmers, who constitute over 80 per cent of India's farming community.
The report criticised the Genetic Engineering Approval (Appraisal) Committee (GEAC) and the Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM)'s role. Basudeb Acharia, chairman, PCA and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader from West Bengal, said, "We want labelling on GM foods to be made mandatory, so that consumers are aware while buying these products. Section 22 of the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011, also stipulates the same."
Confirming that none of the 31 members on the panel - which include nine from the Congress and six from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - disputed any of the findings in the report, Acharia said, "It's because there is no alternative to GM crops that small farmers are heavily indebted and committing suicide." He cited the example of Yavatmal, an impoverished district in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region.
"Only the seed industry is benefiting. R&D activities should be carried out in controlled conditions till all the ethical and regulatory issues are addressed." Acharia said. He also explained the prickly issue of transgenics, saying, "Genetic engineering has made it possible to transfer the genes of animals to agricultural crops, and this is likely to have an adverse impact on the environment. This is an ethical issue."
