GM Crops Have More Harmful Effects Than Being Useful

Genetically modified (GM) crops like Bt cotton do more harm than being thought of, according to an expert from the Small Planet Institute at Massachusetts in the US.
 
At an event organized alongside CoP-11 (XI Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity) by the Deccan Development Society in Hyderabad, Frances Moore Lappe from the Institute presented a paper entitled 'Bt cotton - web around food, farming, and livestock systems: continental perspectives from Africa and Asia'.
 
Ms. Lappe, who is also an author, said most people in America consume GM crops without being even aware of it. She added that GM crops have more harmful effects than being useful.
 
She added that no safety tests have been conducted about the effects of GM crops, including Bt cotton, on humans, and tests conducted so far on animals have not shown good results.
 
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Ilse Kohler-Rollefson from the Pastoral People's and Indogenous Livestock Development, Germany, said there was no need for GM crops in India as it has a healthy system.
 
Dr. Ilse, who has studied livestock across India, said India has diverse livestock and it is commendable that the Government is making efforts to boost the farming system. However, introduction of GM crops can cause a lot of damage, he added.
 
Mr. VS Vijayan, former chairman of Kerala Biodiversity Board, said GM crops like Bt cotton were introduced to raise productivity and not to protect plants from pest attacks. He said pesticides need to be used even for growing Bt cotton, as it is resistant only to bollworm.