Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of In Re: News Item titled "Nayar river is vanishing - a yatra reveals conservation goes beyond science and policy" appearing in ‘The Down To Earth’ dated 03.06.2025. The original application was registered suo-motu based on the news item titled "Nayar …
Offerings are for rainfed areas with low yields. Pioneer Hi-Bred, the seed business of DuPont, plans to launch 16 new hybrids in corn (maize) and rice during the ensuing 2010 planting season.
Though commercial release of genetically modified brinjal has been put on hold, documents made public by the government suggest a proposed study to assess the vegetable's need and possible socio-economic impact on farmers was never done. Activists and farmers stage a protest against the commercialisation of genetically modified BT Brinjal …
There are too many loose ends in the Union environment minister's decision to reject the apex Genetic Engineering Approval Committee's clearance after years of testing, to genetically modified (Bt) brinjal. One trusts the months ahead will see a process put in place that ensures such an outcome isn't repeated. There …
If one gene is good, more genes are better. That's the mantra of plant biologists working to improve crops. Already, companies have engineered varieties that carry both herbicide and insect resistant genes. Ultimately, researchers have set their sights on tweaking complex multigene processes, such as nitrogen fixation, which might involve …
Mold spoils some 10% of the world's annual harvests. And perhaps more significantly, many fungi produce mycotoxins, poisonous chemicals that can accumulate in human tissues. The most dangerous is aflatoxin, which is elevating rates of liver cancer and likely stunting childhood growth in Africa, Southeast Asia, and China. Mycologists are …
In 2009, for the first time since the 1950s and the early stages of the Green Revolution, food security was taken seriously by policy-makers. There was substantial output from the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development, and with studies by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences …
Population growth, arable land and fresh water limits, and climate change have profound implications for the ability of agriculture to meet this century
Analysts estimate that nearly 2 million of Uganda's 31 million people experience food insecurity due to supply problems or rising prices. Nearly 80% of the people in some regions depend on food aid to survive. Such problems could worsen as Uganda's population, which has been increasing at more than 3% …
Africa missed out on the scientific breakthroughs that revolutionized agriculture in Asia. However, with locally developed and locally relevant technologies, a built-up human and institutional capacity, and supportive national policy and leadership, an African Green Revolution can be a reality.
To feed the several billion people living on this planet, the production of high-quality food must increase with reduced inputs, but this accomplishment will be particularly challenging in the face of global environmental change. Plant breeders need to focus on traits with the greatest potential to increase yield. Hence, new …
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? Ms Federoff has been …
The moratorium should be seen as something that will encourage science to succeed. The Environment Ministry's decision to place a moratorium on commercialisation of India's first food crop, the genetically-modified brinjal (Bt Brinjal, containing a gene from the soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis that repels select pests) comes as no surprise …
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 …
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. "There is no over-riding …
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. The admission by the chair of the Expert Committee-II (EC-II), Dr Arjula Reddy, that Union agriculture minister …
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. As a first step in the transparency process, he said the Genetic Engineering Approvals Committee (GEAC), which had …
Jairam Ramesh Stressing that India needed to look at its seed industry, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh today said he believed in the fundamental primacy of the public sector seed industry.
Scientists and activists have welcomed the decision of Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh to defer commercialisation of Bt brinjal. Even Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company (Mahyco), which created the genetically modified vegetable, said it respects the verdict.
Farmers should adopt modern technologies of cultivation and the scientists should improve on the traditional cultivation methods by inventing useful equipment that suit the local needs, opined agriculturist Dr H Somashekhar. He was speaking after presenting a paper during the session on the comprehensive development of the district, in the …
