Monsanto has developed strains of cotton containing a gene from the naturally occurring soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis. This produces a protein called the Bt protoxin, which is lethal to insects feeding on the plant. Bt can also be used directly as an insecticide spray and has been effective for over 40 years.

Says Robert Horsch, technology director of Monsanto, ``Replacing chemical sprays with genetic resistance will produceconsiderable environmental benefits.''

Dr Suman Sahai, convener of Gene Campaign, an Indian NGO, disagrees. ``The effects of GM seeds have not been adequately tested to declare that they are totally benign. In any case, field testing of the new breed of genetically altered crops must be done very carefully following a strict protocol of checks, physical containment and large tracts of land isolating the experimental plots from farmers' fields,'' says Sahai, a bio-technologist and visiting lecturer at the Heidelberg University in Germany.

Monsanto counters that the government of India's Department of Biotechnolgy (DBT) has approved the tests by Mahyco. Says Meena Vaidyanathan, communications manager, Monsanto India, ``Mahyco, with due permission and authorisation from the regulatory authorities, has been conducting field trials on Bollgard. Also, the trials have been conducted on the fields with the full knowledge and approval of the farmer concerned.''

Monsanto attributes the burning of the test fieldsin Andhra Pradesh and in Karnataka by the KRRS (Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha) to misinformation by vested interests.

The Andhra Pradesh government has reacted to the controversy by banning field tests in that state. Says Vaidyanathan, ``We have been conducting the trials under DBT's supervision and with all the appropriate permissions. Field trials and data generated thereof are very important in ensuring that the farmers get the best technologies available today in the market. Banning field trials that are legal and being conducted with appropriate permissions is not justified.''

However, Andhra Pradesh agriculture minister K Vidyadhara Rao has said in a statement that ``if the company insists on continuing the experiments, it will be permitted to do so in the research stations of Sri N G Ranga Agricultural University under the direct supervision of our scientists''. The ban, according to the state government, has been imposed to avert any law and order problem.

Reacting to DBT's approval of thetests, Sahai questions, ``Do we have the required skills and expertise to look into all the pros and cons of testing genetically manipulated crops?'' International research on GM crops seems to provide some justification for her fears.

According to Genetic Resources Action International (GRAIN), studies carried out in the US are demonstrating that resistance to Bt is likely to develop far faster than Monsanto's scientists have claimed and that insects resistant to Bt are already present in the US and elsewhere in the world.Counters Vaidyanathan, ``Resistance development is a natural phenomenon. Effective resistance management practices can delay this process to a great extent. We have been working on Bollgard since 1980 and have not come across a single case of resistance development. Our scientists are also engaged in research to develop ways to manage resistance in the best possible manner.''It is also claimed that in 1996, the first commercial growing season of Monsanto's Bollguard cotton, the pesticideeffect of the engineered Bt was not sufficient to kill off all pests throughout the season, as the company had promised. Dr Mae-Wan Ho of the UK's Open University attributes this failure to unpredicted changes in the behaviour of the Bt gene.

Also, in 1997, 20 per cent of the first commercial crop of Roundup Ready cotton suffered from deformed bolls and bolls dropping off early. Says Dr Richarda Steinbrecher of the Women's Environmental Network, ``Unrelated multiple side-effects of introduced genes cannot be predicted in advance and are not always visible or easily detected.''

Vaidyanathan counters by saying, ``Boll-dropping is a natural phenomenon. The reason why there was higher incidence of boll dropping in some Roundup Ready cotton was because of the intense cold wave conditions prevailing in the areas. This was true even for the regular cotton grown in that area. It is very easy to attribute negatives to a new technology without understanding or analysing the big picture.''

Another concern ofopponents to GM crops is that the Bt gene may be an imprecise weapon that affects beneficial insects as well as pests. The US Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy reports that in Thai field tests of Bt cotton, 30 per cent of the bees around the test fields died. Monsanto, however, says that Bt is very specific to the pest it targets. ``Even in the group Insecta, it specifically targets only the Lepidopteran insects like bollworms. Bt is ineffective against any other group of insects, making Bollgard one of the best fits in an integrated pest management programme,'' says Vaidyanathan.

Allaying fears that introduced genes may `jump' into other organisms with unpredictable and probably uncontrollable results, Vaidyanathan claims, ``Gene escapes and outcrossing is one of the first criteria to be met even before permission for conducting greenhouse experiments under controlled conditions are given. That is the reason that the majority of the crops that have been improved through genetic improvements havebeen those that do not outcross naturally, such as cotton, legumes, etc. Even in the case of crops that outcross, it has to be established over a period of time that outcrossing does not pose a danger to the immediate environment.''

Monsanto attributes the withdrawal of the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh from the Grameen Monsanto Center for Environmentally-Friendly Technologies in July this year ``to unexpected pressures from some self-interest groups''. Says Vaidyanathan, ``This project had the potential to bring about a huge change in the livelihoods of thousands of small and marginal farmers and it is a pity that genuine efforts like the Grameen Bank Micro-Credit Projects have had to be thwarted.'' Despite the spirited response from Monsanto, which has been advertising heavily to dispel fears about its experiments in the country, opposition to field testing of genetically manipulated seeds seems to be building up in the country. The passage of GM crops in India seems to fraught with obstacles.

Monsanto:A major player in biotechnology

Founded in St Louis, Missouri, USA, in 1901, Monsanto has produced a range of chemicals, including saccharin for Coca-Cola, aspirin, plastics, textiles, Agent Orange and, recently, Roundup Glyphosate Herbicide. After its recent merger with American Home Products, Monsanto has become the world's largest agrochemical firm, second largest seed company and fourth largest pharmaceuticals giant. Since 1997, the company is providing commercial seed for herbicide-resistant cotton, soya and rapeseed, insect resistant cotton, maize and potatoes. Its recent growth includes:

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