Farmers set genetic crops on fire

ibnlive.com is on mobile now. Read news, watch videos
be a Citizen Journalist. Log on to m.ibnlive.com NOW!

Related Stories

• Greenpeace alert on genetically modified food in India

• Genetically modified food, a hot potato for the Govt

• Is India ready for genetically modified food?

Top Headlines

Top Videos

Most Popular

• Gujarat dry status an ideological hangover? 

• India dry, Pawar says well-stocked for 13 months | Drought diary 

• Manmohan, Gilani fix up meeting without a date 

• India puts it in writing: Pak planned 26/11 

• Burger King apologises to Hindus for offensive ad 

• SC takes up plea against gay sex, issues notice 

• Suspected Dawood aide acquitted in fake currency case 

• Another 'lover' arrested at Sania Mirza's house 

• Mumbai, Pune and Delhi face 30-40 pc water shortage 

• Politicos get into the ABC of Varun's Z-plus security 

• MP drought-hit 

• Sariska tigers siblings, incest dangerous: Experts 

• 2016 Games contenders go all out to woo voters 

• Watch: Zardari admits to nurturing terrorists 

• SC takes up plea against gay sex, issues notice 

• CJ: Delhi-based builders make off with money 

• Pune reels under 40 per cent water cuts 

• RTI against college lands DCE student in trouble 

• Sports officer attacked for fighting corruption 

• Watch: Ferreira talks about sports and Union Budget 

• Forbes India: 20 stocks you must own 

• Dry state Gujarat reels under hooch tragedy 

• Burger King apologises to Hindus for offensive ad 

• India puts it in writing: Pak planned 26/11 

• Army honours Mohanlal with Lieutenant Colonel post 

• Another 'lover' arrested at Sania Mirza's house 

• MP drought-hit 

• Sariska tigers siblings, incest dangerous: Experts 

• Mamata dismisses corporate structure for railways 

• Mysore: PFI activists clash with police, lathicharged 

Photogallery

Find us on Facebook | Join IBNLive community

Stay ahead with G-Talk Buddy | Click now!

Karnal: A rice field in Karnal is burning after farmers belonging to the Bharatiya Kishan Union set the crops on fire. A fire that has brought back genetically modified crops to the limelight.

Field tests for genetically modified rice have suffered a setback after the farmers burnt the crops as they come to know from a source that the crops are being tested.

"This is a conspiracy of the MNCs to badmouth our crops," said Gurmeet Singh of Bharatiya Kishan Union.

If all goes well, the Karnal farmers want the fire to spread everywhere – where the crops are being tested.

In fact, even the Supreme Court has said that there is a lot of health and environmental concerns associated with genetically modified food crops and no further permission should be given for open field trials.

But M S Swaminathan of National Commission on Farmers has another view. "Sooner we develop safe mechanism which can promote safe and responsible use of biotechnology the greater will be the opportunity for us to benefit," said Swaminathan.

Genetically modified rice being burnt is an expression of concern. Some believe that it's plain and simple misinformation that led to this, but one cannot deny the fact that more needs to be debated about the risks and benefits of genetically modified crops.