- Mysore city is a region of organic and natural farming and is declared as Genetically Modified Organism- Free City (GMO) for the past three years
- Keeping Mysore’s heritage spirit the Southern Action on Genetic Engineering (SAGE) had raised the demand for a ‘GMO-Free Mysore’
- The activists debated upon conserving the rich biodiversity to secure it for the future generations like how the heritage of the city is conserved for prosperity
- The inspiration behind this for the activists was the wide-spread opposition to the introduction of GM crops in their vineyards in France and Italy
- By introducing GM crops the specialty in agriculture for its Mysooru Mallige, Mysore betel leaf, erangere badanekayi and Nanjangud rasabale, which had received Geographical Indication (GI) status, will be lost
- Sahaja Samruddha, a firm is tracking the range of rice and paddy of the state, a network of 500 farmers has put hard efforts to conserve the indigenous varieties and grows organic cultivation
- Crop diversity is a back up against crop failure and major issue in mono-culture, by introducing GM crops it would be sign of danger opined Krishnaprasad of Sahaja Samruddha
- Farmers who grow organic way for ages argued the consequent to the introduction of Bt cotton as the government has stopped good hybrid variety and even the germiplasm of many varieties have not been preserved
- As of now the GMO has not been established and is not safe for introducing GMO
- Read at: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/biodiversity-too-has-to-be-safeguarded-for-future-generations-activists/article6247612.ece