CPM leader’s?crops remark?stuns parties
TRIVANDRUM — A senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader’s call for a review of the stand of his party and the government led by it in Kerala against the Genetically Modified (GM) crops has stirred a hornet’s nest.
Published: Mon 3 Jan 2011, 11:26 PM
Last updated: Wed 26 Aug 2020, 12:14 PM
Leaders of various political parties and socio-scientific organisations have termed the call given by CPM politburo member S. Ramachandran Pillai at the International Congress on Kerala studies here on Saturday highly “objectionable”.
While inaugurating a seminar on “Agriculture in the era of Globalisation” as part of the Congress, Pillai said that the opposition to the GM crops was superstitious. The congress is being organised by the CPM to formulate its stand on issues to be highlighted in the coming Assembly election.
Pillai said many were opposing the GM seeds without knowing its scientific basis. “GM seeds will help enhance farm productivity and solve anemia among women and children’s underweight. It is not possible to enhance agricultural productivity without exploiting the advances in science and technology”, he added.
The Communist Party of India, which controls the agriculture department, dismissed the call given by the CPM leader as his personal opinion. Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran said that it would not influence the government decision to make Kerala a GM-free zone. Ratnakaran said that multinational companies which monopolised the GM technology were trying to undermine the natural traditions of agriculture and added that if they are blindly followed, the poor farmers would soon be left with no farm land.
Backing the minister, his party secretary C.K. Chandrappan said that it was not yet time to consider a change in the government’s policy on the GM seeds. He told reporters at Pathanamthitta on Sunday that the party’s considered opinion was that it would destroy Kerala’s rich bio-diversity.
The Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad, a people’s science movement owing allegiance to the CPM, rubbished Pillai claims, saying that the GM seeds will not only destroy natural crops but also trigger genetic disorders in humans.
“Scientific advancements need not be beneficial to people all the time. We in Kerala have seen how endosulfan has wreaked havoc among the people”, said N. Santhakumari, state committee member of the Parishad.
However, some scientists have come in support of the CPM leader. They said that the fears expressed by the anti-GM crop sections were unfounded.
Dr A Sabu, a senior scientist with the Biotechnology Mission of the Kerala State Council for Science Technology and Environment said that India will not be able to produce enough food for the growing population without adopting scientific and technological advances.
“The land available for cultivation in India is limited. The challenge before us is to produce maximum from the available land. GM seeds are the most suitable scientific solution to this problem”, he said. He urged those opposing the GM seeds not to loose sight of the fact that GM seeds will eliminate the need for pesticides, which has proved to be a health hazard. Sabu pointed out that farmers in several places, including Andhra Pradesh were reaping rich dividend from GM seeds.
news@khaleejtimes.com
iPhone | iPad
Android
Huawei
