Safe Food Alliance sends ‘nutritious food’ to PM

They sent the hamper in response to PM's advocation of the benefits of genetically modified rice.

Singh had said in recent conference on agriculture and nutrition, “Golden rice containing beta carotene provides the calories as well as nutritional supplements that take care of several diseases with Vitamin A deficiencies."

Showing up the falsehood and cussedness of the PM’s statement, many biotechnologists and scientists feel why we should import rice for its vitamin A content when plenty of natural, cheaper, and home-grown options for vitamin A are available in our country.

Naturally available rice is not a source of beta-carotene and vitamin A. Sultan Ismail, a biotechnology professor at New College, Chennai, said, “Carrot, spinach, greens and millets available in abundance are a natural source of beta carotene.”

Genetically modified rice
Genetically modified rice has as many proponents as opponents. In fact, there are more opponents. GM rice proponents say it is the best solution to feed burgeoning population, make a dent in malnutrition and that it weathers changing climate conditions.

The opponents, o the other hand, say it doesn't really solve the problem of global food supply and malnutrition. Moreover, it adds messing up age-old farm practices.

Why GM food is dangerous?
The world’s leading NGOs such as Greenpeace, and Friends of the Earth say farmers have been selecting seeds successfully for centuries. According to Greenpeace, there are as many as 1,40,000 varieties that have been developed and planted without genetic tampering to resist diseases, pests and to survive various climatic conditions.

No one knows the long-term effects of GM food.

The real concern with Golden rice is that foreign genes have been injected into it. It has been developed by introducing two genes from a daffodil. The golden rice has carotenoids injected artificially, and hence the golden color.

There are other varieties of GM rice that actually contain human genes. The GM rice seeds also trap farmers into a vicious circle: the companies selling the seeds trap them into buying chemicals needed for the crop growth.

On top of all these, there is also concern about GM rice seeds contaminating non-GM rice.

Important rice producing countries such as Thailand and Vietnam, which together account for nearly 50 percent of rice exports, banned GM rice long ago.

Nutritious food available
Instead of promoting natural farm practices and natural foods that are available aplenty, the PM’s embrace of GM rice shows the moral bankruptcy.

"There are so many nutritious foods which a poor man can access every day. Why are these not being promoted?" asked Dr G Sivaraman of an NGO, 'Poovalagin Nanbargal.'

Members of Safe Food Alliance felt aghast and objected to the state government allowing the Tamil Nadu Agriculture University to conduct GM maize trails in the state. “Bihar has disallowed such field trials, and we want Tamil Nadu to follow suit,” said Ananthoo, coordinator of Safe Food Alliance.

Safe Food Alliance
Safe Food Alliance’s website reads, “We are the alliance of physicians, lawyers, traders, human rights activist, farmers, consumers and academicians, who want to ensure safe and secure food to all, to make food safe and nourishing, to grow food that makes soil fertile, restores our environment and secures farmers livelihoods.