The government plans to release three more genetically modified (GM) brinjal varieties soon to make all the varieties developed so far available to farmers.
The Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) has already sent an application to the Agriculture Ministry in this regard and it is now under consideration of the National Committee on Biosafety.
“We are waiting for the approval of the biosafety committee,” said BARI Director General Rafiqul Islam Mondol, adding: “Upon approval, we will distribute seedlings among a select group of farmers.”
The varieties of GM brinjal waiting for the approval are Bt Dohazari, Bt Singnath and Bt Khotkhotia.
BARI officials said they have so far developed Bt Uttara, Bt Kajla, Bt Noyontara, Bt ISD 006, Bt Singnath, Bt Dohazari, Bt Chyaga, Bt Khotkhotia and Bt Islampuri from local varieties by inserting the Bt gene – developed by the US-based agrochemical company Monsanto – into them after a seven-year experiment that began in 2006. India's Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Co Ltd provided the technical support for the experiment.
On October 30, 2013, BARI released four GM brinjal varieties – Bt Uttara, Bt Kajla, Bt Noyontara and Bt ISD 006 – without giving any satisfactory explanation on issues related to environmental and health hazards raised by campaigners.
“Now we are about to release three varieties. Upon getting successful result, we will go for the remaining two,” the BARI director general said.
In February 2014, the government primarily distributed Bt brinjal saplings among 20 farmers in Gazipur, Jamalpur, Rangpur and Ishwardi, but most of them yielded poor results.
Later in October that year, BARI distributed GM brinjal saplings among 108 farmers in 17 districts, including Manikganj, Tangail, Pabna, Kushtia, Comilla, Jessore and Dinajpur.
In the last season, saplings were distributed among around 250 farmers in 19 districts.
The release and cultivation of Bt brinjal has triggered massive protests among activists as the authorities failed to come up with satisfactory explanation for possible environmental and health hazards caused by these agro products.
“We have done the toxin test at a laboratory in the UK and did not find any harmful element,” the BARI DG told the Dhaka Tribune.
The Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Co Ltd, in which Monsanto has a 26% stake, developed the Bt brinjal varieties with financial support from the United States Agency for International Development. The Bt Brinjal variety was banned in India in 2010 after its harmful effects were exposed.
The company earlier developed brinjal varieties in the Philippines, but the move was stalled by a court order given after considering health hazards.
The Bangladesh government has meanwhile failed to maintain one of the core conditions of the biosafety committee – putting labels on the products – for marketing the previous GM brinjal varieties.
Rafiqul Islam earlier told the Dhaka Tribune that it would not be possible to ensure labelling at the retail level.
“But when the crops enter the market, the sacks will be labelled as 'Poison-free GM brinjal',” he added.
