Are Bt and HT crops suitable for India?
A. Bt cotton, India’s only GM crop has, so far not been proved to be a major success, at best its results are mixed. In case of herbicide tolerant (HT) crops, Gene Campaign’s view is that this trait should not be allowed in India. There are major socio-economic reasons for this. (1)Weeds are not considered entirely useless plants. In India, they have many uses. For example they are used as leafy green vegetables, like chaulai and bathua saag that are valuable source of nutrition. (2) Those plants that are not eaten by the family provide supplementary fodder for the livestock that the family owns as an additional source of income. (3) The vegetation in the field and around it are medicinal plants on which 80% of our rural communities depend on for health and veterinary care. (4) Finally, the process of weeding in agricultural fields provides wage labour for women. Sometimes, it is their only source of income. Another aspect of using HT crops is that they would destroy all the vegetation
