The decision by the minister was made under strong pressure from the Indian civil society, who opposed the introduction of this genetically modified crop from the beginning. This would have been the first GM vegetable to be produced in India and would have enabled the adoption of GM technology in other countries of the region.

While the Genetic Engineering Approvals Committee had recommended the approval of the crop, protests from peasants, environmentalists and health workers were so strong that the government was forced to conduct public hearings before granting an authorization.

At these hearings, the opposition to the crop was such that the minister decided not to authorize its cultivation.

“It is my duty to adopt a cautious precautionary principle based approach and impose a moratorium on the release of Bt-Brinjal till such time independent scientific studies establish to the satisfaction of both the public and professionals the safety of the product from the point of view of its long term impact on human health and environment, including the rich genetic wealth existing in brinjal in our country.” said Ramesh, according to IPS news agency.

In addition to criticism due to the effects this GM brinjal could have on the health of the people, the crop is questioned due to the fact that it would be introduced in the country of origin of brinjal, something that is discouraged by the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety since GM varieties are detrimental to natural varieties and could modify them.

But while in India these decisions are made to protect biodiversity, in Europe, José Manuel Durao Barroso, President of the European Commission, is aiming to start a new campaign supporting GM products. Brussels is trying to implement a system and a legal framework which would allow Monsanto to continue growing GM maize in European soil for 10 years more, according to Spanish newspaper Público.