For pharmaceutical and food industry the procedure is different from that of GMO produced in agricultural industry. But GMO of crop (plant) brought a lot of chaos throughout the world during the late 90s. The research on GM crop takes about sixty species of plants of human consumption with a total of 20 species already being commercially produced. So far a few corporations such as Monsanto, Astra Zeneca, Dupont, etc. have spent billions of dollars on this research project.

Though America is the birthplace of GM technology, by now the technology has become widespread. For instance, soybean is a popular GM crop all over the world and so is corn. Biotechnology is also adopted in insulin production. The gene, producing insulin in human body, is introduced in bacterial cell and 10,000L of this produces only 20 per cent insulin after fermentation. Only one Ily Lily plant (indigenous species) can produce enough insulin for all Americans.

The list of GM crop in America is very long including cucumber, apple, tomato, papaya, and so on. A new addition to the list is rice. Though the arrival of GM food in the market raised an upheaval in the mid nineties, during the spring of 1999 the controversy rooted itself in America. The debate started with the continuous detrimental effects of GM crop on the larvae of the monarch butterfly. In late 1998, European Union incited a regulation on labeling of GM food. The Argentine farmers were already observing the production of GM crop, however the same was not happening in Brazil. Many of the Brazilian states have enforced law to make them independent of GM crop production.

Japan and UAE have adopted GM food labeling and regulation and India has also taken up some precautionary steps, but Bangladesh is still lagging behind. China on the other hand remains enigmatic regarding their GMO technology adoption, yet has permitted almost 50 species of GM crop.

Cultivation of GM plant crop is still the largest in the US. In 2002, I got an opportunity to attend an international seminar on environmental issues held at Michigan State University. Though the seminar was primarily based on American and Western research, other issues such as scientific progress, adoption of national policies, and various global environmental concerns were also important motifs discussed in the consultation. After presentation of my research paper, two participants sent across questions and among them one was a young professor from Michigan State University. The professor had an ongoing research on GM cucumber. Unfortunately when she showed interest in extending her research to Bangladesh I had to refuse her with disconsolation.

In the next session, the professor from Michigan State University presented a keynote paper highlighting her research on GM cucumber and its success. The professor who is also a gold medallist gracefully brought up the success story of GM technology on crops. While the professor was highlighting the merits of GMO technology among an attentive audience, I put across three questions on those.

My inquiries were very simple and were not yet established on scientific research. In general the issue of transfer of gene from one species to another is ethical. Hence I asked whether this change creates any imbalance in the genetic diversity of crops?

Whether it affects soil quality? With acceptation of the fact that production capacity and low cost in production (does not require pesticides and fertilisers) are the major benefits of GM technology, but shouldn't the general idea or knowledge on GM crop and the proper use and consumption of genetic diversity be evaluated?

The professor emphasised the fact that GM crop is environmentally friendly, as it does not require pesticides, organic fertilisers or chemical fertilisers for its production. On the other hand, many people have often characterised GM crop as an invasive species. Moreover after the death incident of a useful insect like Monark Butterfly on B+ Maize (GM crop) at the research laboratory of Colonel University, it was apparent that the fright and concern regarding this issue would increase.

Therefore, the occurrence of toxicity in GM crop cannot be ignored. In fact the risk of degrading the nutrition source from soil microorganisms inevitably increases. In addition, the chance of cross-pollination between modified crop and natural/pure species resulting in another genus remains. At the end I put across the question that whether in the name of production should we be captivated in the hands of few powerful corporation likeMonsanto/Novartis. In that case are the urban policy makers not deceiving us and in the near future will we lose our traditional preservation techniques, which has existed for decades now among the farmers?

The British government has invested 5.5 million pound sterling in GM crop trials to find out the causes of this apprehension. There was an extensive research on GM technology in agriculture prior to its implementation in commercial market. The result published in September was based on the research data collected from two hundred fields extending from North England to North Scotland. A total of four thousand fields were visited from where half a million seeds and 1.5 million insects and other invertebrates were collected after being surveyed.

Afterwards this was published in a popular journal under the Royal Society. A summary of the survey was also published as a top story in the popular daily The Independent. The research has also stated that after the intensive farming project, GM crop cultivation may cause another sharp decline in diversity of useful herbs, insects, flowers, and animals. The research was on GM crop of oilseeds, sugar beet, and maize, and the result implies severe degradation of natural wild life. The concern of the advisors from Wild Life Conservation of English Nature was conclusively proved with this research.

That is why the promotion of Golden Rice of IRRI in Bangladesh alarmed us, in the same way as imported soybean from North and South America does. Corn and other GM foods are not different. Introducing GM crop in our agricultural fields will not only cause reduction in the genetic diversity of around five thousand plant species, but will also take away the poor farmer's right of seed preservation. Hence it is essential to modify the bio-safety guideline with reference to the latest scientific research. Bangladesh should adopt a very cautious approach towards the introduction of GM crops in the country.

Dihider Shahriar Kabir is an Assistant Professor, School of Environmental Science and Management, Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB).