Green activists have urged the government to stop the cultivation of genetically modified Bt Brinjal as well as the use of herbicide named “Roundup” in the country as those are destroying the natural ecology and biodiversity.
The call came from a human chain held on Dhaka University campus by Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) and Poribesh Bachao Andolon (POBA) as part of the worldwide protest against USA seed and pesticides production company “Monsanto.
In 2013, Bangladesh became the first country in South Asia allowing the cultivation of the modified eggplant namely Bt Brinjal despite having a ban on the variety in India and the Philippines. Monsanto had developed the variety.
Without the human health hazard and transgenic influence of the duo, the government has released four GM brinjal varieties in 2013 pushing the country’s agricultural diversity at stake, opined Farida Akter, executive director of Ubinig, a policy and action research organisation.
She blamed the state authorities for the move that also gives a space to Monsanto for flourishing its seed business there.
In addition, they called upon the government to stop the use of herbicide, Roundup, in the country’s tea gardens because it actually has been killing some beneficial insects of the ecology.
“Though the tea gardens initially gets rid of unwanted plants after using the herbicide, in line with the benefit they are losing some species of beneficial insect which is necessary for the ecology,” said Pavel Partha, an ecology and biodiversity researcher while addressing the rally.
A recent WHO report lists Roundup as a probable cause of cancer, the researcher continued.
Apart from the protest, hundreds of thousands of people from 428 cities in 38 countries yesterday organised this sort of movement to create awareness of the dangers of genetically modified food crops.
Many other like-minded organisations and civil society members also joined the event.
