Navdanya launches “No to GMO bananas” campaign

Vandana Shiva’s (RLA 1993) foundation Navdanya launched a campaign against the Indian government’s plan to develop genetically modified bananas.

To address the public health emergency of iron deficiency anaemia, India’s Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) signed an MoU with Queensland University of Technology to increase the iron content in bananas through genetic engineering.

Navdanya claims this is a false solution, as GMO bananas will have “3000% less iron compared to turmeric, niger, or lotus stem, and 2000% less than mango powder.” In a letter to India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Navdanya questioned the spending of taxpayer’s money on something that has such less iron content instead of the other safe and biodiverse alternatives available.

With the campaign, Navdanya also wants to promote “indigenous biodiversity and knowledge as the real solution to hunger and malnutrition.”

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