29/November/19

 

Some politicians and GMO industry lobbyists claim that de-regulation of gene editing will enable market access for SMEs (small and medium size enterprises) that want to develop gene-edited crops and foods to save us all from climate change. But that's not how the agbiotech market works, GMWatch shows in a glimpse behind the scenes of the SME world. The main finding: whether an SME and its GMO product fails or not has nothing to do with the regulatory burden and everything to do with whether the company comes up with a product that the market actually wants. GMWatch

 

 

A report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has claimed that GM Bt brinjal (eggplant/aubergine), which is genetically engineered to express its own insecticide, "helps farmers in Bangladesh earn more with less pesticide". However, an investigation by GMWatch has found that the report is giving a misleading impression of Bt brinjal’s performance. Crucially, the yields and income from the GM Bt brinjal crops appear to be poor. Farida Akhter, executive director of the Bangladesh-based civil society research group UBINIG, says farmers growing non-GM local varieties are getting far better yields and income. GMWatch

 

 

Bangladesh might be the first country to approve GM golden rice for cultivation, according to an article in Science magazine. [GMW: While this article contains a lot of pro-GMO hype, it admits, "The government may need to promote golden rice and... even subsidize farmers to grow it." The article ignores the scientific study that shows the beta-carotene in golden rice degrades rapidly on storage.] Science (paywall)