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Removing Bt eggplant from the face of Indian regulators

Nature Biotechnology volume 33, pages 904–907 (2015)Cite this article

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Brinjal (Solanum melongena) can become heavily infested by fruit and shoot borer (FSB) moths, particularly in South and Southeast Asia, leading to serious crop losses. Bt brinjal, expressing the gene cry1Ac (event EE-1), provides protection against FSB, and the event was rigorously and extensively tested in India during 2001–2009 under its well-developed regulatory system. The statutory regulatory body, the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) made public the Bt brinjal biosafety dossier and invited comments from the public for a period of 45 days, as per the procedure laid out in the Citizen's Charter of India2. After taking into consideration the test results, public views and approval by two expert committees, the GEAC, at a meeting held in October 2009, concluded that Bt brinjal event EE-1 was safe for environmental release3. But the GEAC decision could not be implemented, as the MOEF did not accept GEAC's approval and instead imposed a temporary and open-ended moratorium on the release of Bt brinjal4 that has not yet been lifted. The moratorium decision was based on a series of nationwide public meetings organized by the Centre for Environment Education, an environmental nongovernmental organization (NGO), at the behest of the MOEF. Importantly, the MOEF's decision to hold public meetings on Bt brinjal contravened established norms and procedures by inviting public comment on experiments of a scientific nature—a process that is mandated for projects or activities related to infrastructure that require prior environmental clearance5. In its rejection of the GEAC's assessment of Bt brinjal, the MOEF relied heavily on the public views against Bt brinjal that were generated during the public meetings and took advantage of the fact that the world-renowned agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan did not come out unequivocally in favor of Bt brinjal6.

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Acknowledgements

P.K.G. recognizes the award of INSA Senior Scientist, India. B.C. and G.G. acknowledge support of Marc Van Montagu, IPBO, Ghent University, Belgium.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, India

    Pushpendra Kumar Gupta

  2. Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium

    Bhagirath Choudhary & Godelieve Gheysen

  3. Institute of Plant Biotechnology Outreach, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium

    Bhagirath Choudhary & Godelieve Gheysen

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  1. Pushpendra Kumar Gupta
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  2. Bhagirath Choudhary
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  3. Godelieve Gheysen
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Correspondence to Bhagirath Choudhary.

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Gupta, P., Choudhary, B. & Gheysen, G. Removing Bt eggplant from the face of Indian regulators. Nat Biotechnol 33, 904–907 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt.3331

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