Village-level protests against Golden Rice and Bt brinjal

Demanding no approval to Golden Rice and to stop the cultivation of Bt. Brinjal immediately

Nayakrishi Andolon and UBINIG, organized a human chain and a discussion meeting involving farmers at Hinganagar village (of Atia union, Delduar upazila) on 28 April 2024 to stop Golden Rice and Bt. Brinjal immediately because they are genetically modified seeds that are harmful to farmers, soil, and the environment. About 100 women and men farmers, students of school and college, and some local residents joined the human chain.

Rabiul Islam Chunnu and Fahima Khatun Liza talked about the harmful impacts of Bt. Brinjal. Public awareness has been created in this regard since 2013. Bt. Brinjal is modified to kill the targeted Fruit and Shoot borer insect. No research is conducted to know the safety of Bt brinjal to human health and the environment. This brinjal is being imposed on the farmers only for the commercial interest of Monsanto, a multinational seed company, (now Bayer). This has no beneficial effect on the farmers. UBINIG has long been working to create awareness among farmers against the harmful impact of Bt. brinjal.

Another GM crop called Golden Rice, is in the process of approval. It is claimed that the vitamin A gene has been inserted in a popular rice variety, BRRI dhan-29. The patent of Golden Rice has been given to Syngenta, a multinational company. If Golden Rice is allowed for field cultivation, then what will happen to the millions of farmers cultivating BRRI dhan-29? The Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) has permitted Syngenta to use BRRI dhan-29 as Golden Rice. We know we do not take rice only as a source of vitamin A. We have plenty of fruits and vegetables; especially those are yellow. These include carrot, sweet gourd, ripe papaya, melon, jack fruit, banana, mango etc. In addition, cultivated vegetables like moringa leaves, kata-notey, spinach etc. are rich sources of vitamin A. So, there is no need to insert vitamin A into rice.

When Bt. brinjal and golden rice are genetically modified, it is companies who own them. Then, the farmers will lose control over BRRI dhan-29 and our local variety of brinjals, which is not desired. Farmers will not have the right to maintain these seeds even if they desire to.

There is no common vitamin A deficiency among Bangladeshis. Only rice intake is no solution to meeting the need for vitamin A. Our diets are diverse. We have many accessible sources of vitamin A in our list of everyday food items. We have no need for golden rice to supplement vitamin A.

Moreover, golden rice contains Retinoic Acid derivatives. According to Dr. Tushar Chakraborty, a Molecular Biologist in India, consuming golden rice may cause an expecting mother to give birth to an autistic baby. Farmers are requested to be aware of golden rice and Bt. brinjal and share with others as well.

Farmers Rabeya Begum, Afia Begum, Fulmoti Begum, Sufia Begum, and Liaquat Ali said, “We have many local varieties of vegetables rich in vitamin A. We shall grow the local varieties of vegetables. We shall maintain these seeds. We do not like hybrids. Majority of farmers practice Nayakrishi. They maintain seeds in own hands. Water gourd, sweet gourd, cucumber, and papaya are good enough to prevent night blindness. We can consume uncultivated vegetables. These are good sources of vitamin A. We are in good health. We do not need Golden Rice. We are afraid Golden Rice will make us more sick.

We grow local rice varieties in seasons, including Chamara digha and Patjag, and various vegetables round the year. There are also varieties of fruit-bearing trees in the homestead area, including papaya, mango, plume, and others. Many uncultivated leafy vegetables, including Helena, kolmi, and katoey, are good sources of vitamin A. We get enough nutrition from these vegetables. We shall not grow and eat Bt. brinjal. We shall grow local varieties of crops and vegetables.

Arum, sweet gourd, dheki sak, and spinach are rich sources of vitamin A. Consuming crops, vegetables, and fruits of local varieties will ensure good health. We do not need golden rice for vitamin A.

The farmers further mentioned that hybrid rice, Hybrid vegetables, and other crops are responsible for many diseases. We have lost seeds of local varieties of crops by growing hybrids with the application of chemical fertilizer and pesticides out of greed for high yield. We have learned that chemical fertilizers and pesticides are dangerous for soil fertility and biodiversity. We understand that Golden Rice and Bt. brinjal will not do any good but create more hazards. So, we do not want Golden Rice and Bt. brinjal.

We urge the Government to give us back our seeds of local varieties of crops that do not need chemical fertilizer and pesticides.

During the human chain, people walking in the road were listening to the farmers and they were curious to know what these Golden Rice and Bt Brinjal are.

The farmers carrying the festoons had the following messages:

1. We do not want Golden Rice.
2. No to use of Genetic Engineering in agriculture.
3. Save local seeds.
4. No to approval of Golden Rice.
5. We do not want hybrid seeds.
6. Save seeds of local varieties.
7. We do not want Bt. brinjal
8. Save local seed and throw away Golden Rice
9. We do not want GMO