In its recent document, ISAAA Brief 44 : Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops – 2012, it has boldly displayed a map of India gifting to Pakistan and China parts of an Indian province, Jammu and Kashmir.

It is true that parts of Indian territories are under forceful occupation by Pakistan and China. India has not accepted the illegal occuption by re-drawing international boundary. Talks are in progress for settling India’s border disputes between Pakistan and China. A resolution passed by the Indian Parliament confirms and asserts the original boundary of the country.

But ISAAA without waiting with patience for the final outcome of the border talks preferred to publish maps of India which is officially incorrect in this country. On page 61 of ISAAA Brief 44 : Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops – 2012, a map of India has been displayed slicing the Indian province, Jammu and Kashmir. Again on page 83 similar position is taken where India’s map is juxtaposed with that of China. Further on page 109, Pakistan’s map is shown with its international boundary extending deep into the Indian territory.

This attitude of ISAAA makes one to think whether the organisation is an advocacy group for the promotion of GM crops on basis of scientific evidence (as it claims to be) or is it a frontal organisation for playing its role in the global geo-politics by re-drawing political boundaries of countries.

It is unfortunate that the Government of India has not yet reacted to the nefarious activities of ISAAA even as ministers and senior officials in the Indian bureaucracy are in constant touch with this global lobbysit for GM crops. Former Chairman of the Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), CD Mayee is taken on the ISAAA Board of Directors due to his contribution in promoting Bt cotton in India.

ISAAA pushed hard for commercialization of Bt cotton in India and as a result due to crop failures at places it increased the incidences of farmers’ suicides. However, a matter of precaution, India has not ventured to further approve any GM crop for commercial cultivation.

The ISAAA South Asia Office operates in India through ICRISAT headquarters in Hyderabad and as well as through its Delhi office located at NASC Complex.

ISAAA has listed several US multinational companies like Monsanto as its donars and is in the forefront of promoting the products of these multinational seed companies while ignoring the genuine interests of small and marginal farmers. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) also appear in the list of donars.

The global lobbyist is now aggrieved with India for keeping on hold the approval of Bt brinjal (eggplant) for commercial cultivation. The regulator in India, GEAC, had approved Bt brinjal for commercial cultivation, but the then the Indian Minister for Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh put his foot down after a series of public hearing across the country which brought to light the health and environmental hazards of this genetically modified crop.

The Supreme Court of India is deliberating on a public interest litigation calling for a ban on the open field trials of GM crops.

After being agrieved with India, the ISAAA shifted its focus on Pakistan which has recently allowed commercialization of Bt cotton. It has devoted 12 pages lauding Pakistan’s “success” of Bt cotton.

The writer of this article was fortunate to get a copy of the ISAAA Brief 44 : Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops – 2012 from a friend in Pakistan who came to attend a seminar in India.

It seems that behind the ISAAA pronouncement of promotion of GM crops on basis scientific evidence, is its political and ge-political agenda. Words like “political support” and “political will of the Government” appear at many places in the report. It is evident that ISAAA wants the national Governments to forcibly introduce GM crops against the willingness of the people and farmers. It wants a world of GM crops so that the GM crops produced by US, particularly corn can be exported freely without hassle. Many countries including those in Europe have not allowed GM crops on account of its conceived health and environmental hazards.

Under the sub-heading “Political Support for Biotech crops in China”, the report showers praises on President Hu Jintao, Chinese Vice Minister for Agriculture Zhang Taolin and Chinese Deputy Minister of Agriculture Chen Xiaohua.

Regarding India, the ISAAA has highlighted Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar’s remarks appearing in an English daily that a squeamish policy had “totally demoralised” government scientists while stifling private initiatives, both of which were critical for keeping pressures off food availability for a growing population.

“Any hesitation on our part to prevent the further development of this technology on unfounded apprehension would not only demoralise our scientific community but also render meaningless the progress made by us so far and increase our future dependence on other countries where research in transgenic is being given more and more importance,” the quote attributed to Sharad Pawar said.

ISAAA role in the geo-politics of GM crops is quite evident from its praise of the Consejo Agropecuario del Sur (CAS) – Souther Agricultural Council which met in Santiago in Chile in October 21-22, 2010 and issued a statement endorsing development of GM crops. CAS is a regional government network of the Ministers of Agriculture of the Southern Cone countries of Latin America which include Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay.

Poor cotton growing countries like Burkina Faso in Africa, whose export markets are depressed by heavy subsidy given by US, have been cleverly roped into the geo-politics of GM crops. Burkina Faso has begun cultivation of Bt cotton and ISAAA has lauded the efforts of its President Blaise Compaore.

While saying that that in a hungry continent the debate on GM crops should be different, President Compaore has said : “In cotton sector, for example, Burkina Faso has succeeded in increasing its production under current conditions, but it will be difficult to exceed one million tonne. But with falling prices, we have no choice but to produce in quantity. An biotechnology may allow us to reach two to three million tonne.”

Apart from Burkina Faso, South Africa, Egypt and Sudan grow Bt cotton. Efforts are underway to rope in more African countries through sub-regional groupings like the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the largest trading bloc in the Continent with 19 member states. ISAAA is pleading that GM crop is a silver bullet which can remove hunger in the African continent.

However with decades of efforts, only 28 countries have gone for cultivation of GM crops, most of which are for feed, fibre and industrial crops while 31 countries have allowed imports of GM crops for feed. The 28 countries in the GM crop map are US, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, India, China, Paraguay, South Africa, Pakistan, Uruguay, Bolivia, Philippines, Australia, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Mexico, Spain, Chile, Columbia, Honduras, Sudan, Portugal, Czech Republic, Cuba, Egypt, Costa Rica, Romania, Slovakia and Poland. Due to stiff consumer resistance in the European Union, fresh introduction of GM crops has not been possible.

But it seems that ISAAA has not given up its efforts in playing an active role in the geo-politics of GM crops even as fresh evidences of health and environmental hazards of the transgenic crops are coming to light.