Date published: 2010/02/10
The BBC says:
India has deferred the commercial cultivation of what would have been its first genetically modified (GM) vegetable crop due to safety concerns.
Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said more studies were needed to ensure genetically modified aubergines were safe for consumers and the environment.
The GM vegetable has undergone field trials since 2008 and received approval from government scientists in 2009.
But there has been a heated public row over the cultivation of the GM crop.
...
Anti-GM groups say there are serious health concerns and they allege that consumption of GM crops can even cause cancer.
This has nothing to do with health issues. This is entirely a political decision. It seems that the GM debate in India has been hijacked by the same anti-science, anti-technology, anti-corporate NGOs that successfully barred GM food from Europe. It is unfortunate that the world is moving backwards, not forwards, on the agriculture front, especially given that the world population is still increasing. India in particular needs more food. But many NGOs would rather have the world starve than accept GM technology.
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