April 2015 Shri Devendra Fadnavis Hon’ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra Mumbai. Dear Chief Minister, As Maharashtrians we have welcomed your concern for health, which prompted you to take up seriously the ban on tobacco. We appreciate your concern for farmers, which has led you to pour thousands of crores into farm loan waivers. But we are extremely concerned that under your leadership Maharashtra has given NOCs for field trials of Genetically Modified food crops. We feel you may be unaware of the following facts: The World Health Organisation has now classified the herbicide used with the Herbicide Tolerant (HT) crops, namely glyphosate, as ‘probably carcinogenic’ to humans. Reports show that Argentina is suffering from increased cancer and birth defects probably due to GM soya; herbicide use in USA has shot up after GM and so have many diseases. The Technical Expert Committee (TEC) appointed by the Supreme Court has stated that Herbicide Tolerant Crops will put millions of poor people engaged in weeding out of work and that all field trials and commercial release of HT crops should be banned. Most (17 out of 20) of the most developed countries of the world refuse to grow GM crops. Only 3 do - USA, Canada and Australia - with the latter 2 reducing their GM acreage and in USA GM area barely growing at 1% pa. Europe, Japan, Korea, Israel etc are not growing GM. China is growing much less area than India and recently stopped field trials. GM is a widely rejected technology being ‘sold’ to developing countries. Despite the BJP manifesto’s assurance of biosafety, no long term independent lab tests have been done BEFORE field trials to establish biosafety as per recommendations of the TEC, and also the unanimous recommendations of the multi-party Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture, on which BJP had members. Both the Committees have pointed out that there are serious problems in terms of thorough testing and regulation of GM crops which must first be solved. They found the benefits are over-stated, the risks are many and uncontrollable and there is no cause for haste. Bt cotton has not solved the problems of Maharashtra’s cotton farmers as promised. After 12 years of Bt they are still committing suicide. The high costs of seeds and fertilizers lead to high loans and despair when crops fail or market prices drop. Pesticide use has declined on bollworm, but drastically increased for other pests. Traders no longer stock the original diversity of locally adapted and cheaper seeds, which can be replanted each year. The main beneficiaries are the companies who take royalties and the traders who get high commissions on Bt seeds and are the new money lenders. By aggressive marketing, farmers are led into a technology which is irreversible. In USA, though demand for non GM seed grew by 80% in 2013, farmers are unable to leave GM as old GM seeds resprout in their fields. GM is a one way trap. Are you going to take our food, our rice, brinjal, corn and chick pea, into the same trap? Globally consumers do not want GM. Doctors in USA are advising patients to stop eating GM. The pesticide is either within the plant (Bt seeds) or sprayed on the plant as herbicides (for HT seeds). There are over 400 scientific studies showing the adverse effects of GM. Industry and even regulators try to deny and destroy the work of independent scientists who are warning the public about GM. The risks of tobacco were similarly denied for over 30 years by the cigarette companies and the regulators and millions died as a result. Tobacco is taken by choice. Food consumers will have no choice, as GM and non GM foods cannot be distinguished visually. Contamination from field trials has been found even when the crops have been destroyed after trial. The flow of pollen and the mixture or regeneration of GM seeds can cause contamination, even in University conditions. Why should the people of Maharashtra be subjected to GM field trials when most of the other States have refused permission ? The NOC for field trials in Maharashtra are in complete violation of the TEC recommendations, and were approved by the previous Government after secret deliberations by a small committee. Let there be open debates on GM. We request you, as our respected Chief Minister, to please honour the recommendations of the high powered Technical Expert Committee of the Supreme Court. It has called for a ban on herbicide tolerant crops and those like rice and brinjal, for which India is a centre of origin, and a moratorium on all GM field trials until certain conditions are fulfilled. The present NOC for field trials of GM crops are in complete violation of these recommendations. We therefore request you to please cancel these NOCs and to destroy any field trials that have started. Thanking you