Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Non-GM soya varieties have immense opportunities

Non-GM soya varieties have immense opportunities

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Feb 24, 2010   modified Modified on Feb 24, 2010

Union ministers may be squabbling heatedly over whether the moratorium on Bt Brinjal was right or wrong, but trade associations related to soya, a commodity which has been virtually swamped by the GM variety worldwide, are clear that the growing agri-biotech bandwagon has opened up immense new opportunities for safer, traditional, non-GM soya varieties.

The Soy Food Promotion and Welfare Association announced the launch of a two day International Soy Conference to focus on non-GM soya trade, especially after the conversion of most North and South America to GM soybean.

"We need to urgently take stock of the demand-sup0ply scenario prevailing now and explore creative strategies for taking advantage of the changing international situation on trade," an official stressed.

Crucially, association members pointed out that since the adoption of GM soyabean, no significant yield increase had been reported from the USA. That gathers significance against a backdrop where various government departments here have been forwarding a rather flippant argument for the adoption of Bt Brinjal of late: that Indian farmers adopted Bt cotton overwhelmingly thanks to favourable economics and would do so with Bt Brinjal as well. Health and bio safety, ironically, seem to have been bulldozed out of that argument in a quite cavalier manner.

The conference on "Non-GMO Crops in India" will be held at Le Meridien New Delhi on 16-17 March, against this backdrop, to debate necessary steps to spread awareness about yield and potential of Non GMO soybeans. The non GMO conference is expected to provide a major platform for interaction between the European retail industry and the Indian soya majors as well as European and Indian decision makers, scientists and academics.

Most Asian and European countries have made it mandatory to declare GM/Non GM status of food ingredient on packaging of all processed food although India has yet to do this. A bill anchored by the Health ministry on labelling all GM foods and feed, raw or processed, stringently is still pending. Some European countries have even made this mandatory even for dairy and processed meat products.

"More than 90% of American soya crop is GMO and this percentage is going to increase further. Consequently, the world is looking at India for supply of Non GMO Soya as India is the only 100% Non GMO supplier," officials said.

Over 200 speakers and delegates from suppliers, manufactures, retailers, government representatives and the scientific community worldwide are expected to converge at the conference to discuss, apart from trade appropriate change in global bio safety and agricultural policies.

"The aim of the conference is to determine the global supply of non-GMO soya and other agri products, with a view to create a global non-GMO commodity market" commented Dinesh Shahra, President of SFPWA.

"The ultimate priority is to raise awareness about the benefits of non-GMO food products and the international potential of non-GMO soya. Naturally this event will provide a unique business platform for buyers to interact with suppliers of non-gmo crops from India."

The conference is expected to provide a deeper understanding of the impacts of GMOs on food security, as well as human and livestock health and the environment, all with special focus on India, leading to insights into today's regulatory, market and political forces that are influencing the production and supply flow of responsible, sustainable, Non-GMO soya.

Speakers on key issues of bio safety assessment, GM technology and food security include Dr Jack Heinemann, Professor of Genetics and Molecular Biology at the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, Dr Terje Traavik, Scientific Director of GenØk - Centre for Biosafety in Norway, Dr Walter Alberto Pengue, Professor of Agroecology at the Institute of Metropolitan Area Studies, National University of General Sarmiento in Argentina, Dr Vandana Shiva, Councillor of the World Future Council, Dr Josef Martinz, the Minister of Agriculture of Karnten in Austria and Mr Kailash Vijayvargiya, MP state minister for Food Processing.


The Economic Times, 23 February, 2010, http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Economy/Agriculture/Non-GM-soya-varieties-have-immense-opportunities/articleshow/5609149.cms
 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close