Genetically modified (GM) food is one of the most contentious subjects, especially in places such as Europe, where environmentalists are vehemently opposed to it.

In India, the debate over the pros and cons of GM food and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has raged for nearly a decade. Last week, the country came closer to the introduction of GM edible food, with the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), the regulator for GM crops, giving the go-ahead for the launch of Bt (Bacillus Thuringiensis) brinjal.

The regulator's approval has to be endorsed by the Environment Ministry, which would then allow international companies - and their domestic partners - to introduce Bt brinjal seeds.

India has been wrestling with the concept of GMOs for almost a decade. The government tentatively allowed the introduction of Bt cotton in 2002, despite protests from environmentalists. Today, the proponents of this GM crop claim that Bt cotton has been a huge success in India, benefiting millions of farmers, a claim that is contested by opponents.

But environmentalists and NGOs opposed to GM crops and food are now banding together, in what appears to be a last-ditch bid to prevent the acceptance of GMOs by the government and the farming community. They accuse multinational seed companies of lobbying hard for the clearances, even condemning agricultural scientists and research bodies that have endorsed the GEAC proposal.

The government is caught up in a dilemma. With growing population pressures and declining farm yields, it is under pressure to introduce GM crops and food, especially considering the success of such products in the US, Latin America and other parts of the world.

But a powerful group of environmentalists and other organisations have raised the ante, shrilly opposing any concessions to the GM lobby. The Environment Ministry has been flooded with letters and mails sent by opponents acting as a lobby. Greenpeace, a global environmental group - which is leading the anti-GM front in India and abroad - and other NGOs sent almost 50,000 protest notes through emails and fax to Jairam Ramesh, the environment minister, a day after the GEAC cleared the proposal.

Describing their lobbying as 'blackmail,' Ramesh strongly condemned them for providing wrong information and misleading the public. “I am all for transparency, but many NGOs have been spreading wrong information. This is not the way to conduct discourse,” he says.

Ramesh says the ministry is uploading the expert committee's report to the GEAC on its web site, and the public would be allowed to comment on it.

“Strong views have already been expressed on the Bt brinjal issue, both for and against,” he explains. “My objective is to arrive at a careful, considered decision in the public and national interest. The decision will be made only after the consultations process is complete and all stakeholders are satisfied that they have been heard to their satisfaction.”

Ramesh plans to have a series of consultations with scientists, agriculture experts, farmers' organisations, consumer groups and NGOs during January and February, before taking a final decision.

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BRINJALS - also known as aubergines - are grown on 530,000 hectares of farmland in states such as West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. But almost 50 per cent of the egg-plant is destroyed by insects such as the Brinjal Fruit and Shoot Borer and the Fruit Borer. The net production is barely eight million tonnes.

Efforts to produce a pest-resistant brinjal began in 2000, but environmentalists opposed moves to fiddle around with the plant. The matter came up before the GEAC for the first time in 2004. After a couple of rounds of scientific review, the regulator ordered a second round of field trials that were coordinated by the Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi.

According to Mathura Rai, director of the institute, trial results indicated that the use of Bt brinjal resulted in an 80 per cent fall in the use of pesticides and a 25 per cent rise in yield. Bt brinjal is a transgenic egg-plant created by inserting a gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus Thuringiensis into the brinjal. It secretes a protein that destroys the insects. After the genetic modification, the plant also develops resistance to the pests.

The GEAC conducted extensive field trials on the GM plant at 11 different locations across the country under the supervision of agriculture universities and government-owned institutions. Following two years of trials, the regulator declared Bt brinjal as 'bio-safe' and fit to be released in the environment.

The Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company (MAHYCO), together with US giant Monsanto, developed the Bt brinjal hybrid. The two firms also collaborated with the University of Agriculture Sciences in Dharwad, Karnataka, and the Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, Coimbatore.

The GEAC's approval of the first edible GM plant in India is expected to trigger off a rush of applications for approvals for nearly four-dozen other crops including GM rice, wheat, tomato, potato, cabbage and watermelon.

But opponents have strongly condemned the GEAC's decision. According to Pushpa Bhargava, former director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, it appeared to be a pre-determined decision.

Kavita Kuruganti, a member of the Coalition for a GM-Free India, accuses some of the experts on the GEAC of being closely linked with developers of GM products.

Sunita Narain, director, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), urges the authorities to exercise extreme caution while clearing GM food. The regulator should not clear edible GM crops until compulsory labelling of such products is introduced, she says.

The All-India Kisan Sabha, a body representing farmers, warns that multinationals like Monsanto would have a monopoly over seeds and farmers would be forced to pay exorbitant prices in the future.

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BUT proponents of GM crops refer to the stagnation in the Indian agriculture sector, where growth is negligible and even yields are falling drastically. There is need for “a third green revolution,” which can be triggered by GMOs, they aver.

K.V. Thomas, the minister of state for agriculture, feels that agricultural production has to go up once the Food Security Act - which would ensure basic minimum food to every Indian - is in place. Scientific methods will have to be developed to enhance yields, he adds.

Scientists and agriculturists backing GM technology refer to the success of such crops and food in countries such as Brazil, China and the US. Even in India, Bt cotton has transformed the sector, boosting yields and generating enormous surplus for farmers.

In fact, earlier this month, the GEAC allowed seed companies in India - including Monsanto and Bayer Hybrid Seeds - to export Bt cotton seeds to Pakistan for trials. Indian firms, who have already obtained permission from the Pakistan government to test the Bt cotton hybrid seeds, are eager to conduct the trials in farms across the border.

International firms also expect a gradual acceptance of GM crops in India. Balvinder Singh Kalsi, president and CEO, DuPont India, notes that the multinational is keen on GM crops including rice. It is already working on high-yielding hybrids for rice, and will gradually start working on traits to control pests.

At present, none of DuPont's seeds are GM in India. It sells high-yielding hybrid seeds, but has acquired a seed firm that is a licensee for Monsanto. But Kalsi admits that there is some disillusionment among farmers about Bt cotton seeds, as its resistance to bollworm has come down, hurting yields.