Angry Thai farmers call for ban on GM rice

Mae-Wan Ho reports on an extraordinary gathering of Thai farmers, activists, government officials, academics and rice research scientists with the objective of securing official protection for indigenous biodiversity knowledge and wisdom.

FARMERS from all over Thailand flocked to the day-long Rice Forum held in the Museum Hall for Culture and Agriculture in Kasetsart University near the outskirts of Bangkok on 15 August. There, they met with activists, government officials, academic scientists, students and indigenous peoples to hear speakers who included distinguished professors from the universities and Ministry of Agriculture, the leader of the Karen tribes as well as invited foreign guests. This was in preparation for the long march to take place in September, in protest against the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to Thailand. Monsanto from next door sent their representative to listen in...

Devlin Kuyek from the Barcelona-based NGO, GRAIN , gave a very useful review of the transgenic rice engineered to resist bacterial blast - BB rice for short - of which the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is to hold field trials in South-East Asia, starting in the Philippines. The Philippines' Biosafety Guidelines actually state that, 'Genetic manipulation of organisms should be allowed only if the ultimate objective is for the welfare of humanity and the natural environment and only if it has been clearly stated that there are no existing or foreseeable alternative approaches to serving the welfare of humanity and the environment.' It turns out that only Green Revolution varieties are susceptible to bacterial blight and not the local varieties. The IRRI has in fact caused bacterial blight and is now proposing to use the GM rice to solve the problem. But past experience has shown that this strategy will not work, as the bacterial blight will merely mutate into a new form.

Myth of 'golden rice'

Lene Santos, also from GRAIN, exploded the myth of the 'golden rice' - engineered to produce pro-vitamin A in the polished grain - that is supposed to cure widespread vitamin A deficiency in the Third World. She pointed out that the poor and malnourished are actually deficient in multiple vitamins and nutrients, and that the problem cannot be addressed by pro-vitamin A alone. There are already some 70 patents on the golden rice, owned by 32 companies. The modified rice variety is a temperate rice unsuitable for growing in the tropics. (See also ISIS Sustainable Audit #1, 'The Golden Rice, an Exercise in How Not to Do Science', www.i-sis.org.)

The Monsanto representative finally spoke up and said that the company is only trying to improve the quality of life for people in the Third World, and villagers can choose not to use GM crops. China and Singapore, she said, are promoting and embracing the technology enthusiastically just so they won't be dominated by foreign countries.

Dr Mae-Wan Ho, of the Institute of Science in Society, is a Reader in Biology at the Open University, UK, and a Fellow of the US National Genetics Foundation.

How nice to care only for the poor farmers, it must be boom times for farmers in Missouri, and the Global Flagship of Monsanto to share the good fortunes!