Safe food campaigners inform citizens about the ramifications of introducing GM mustard.
Story so far: Marking the end of Safe Food Week, India for Safe Food, in collaboration with Jaivik Mall, organised the Vasanta Utsava-Sasive Habba (Mustard Festival) near Lalbagh on Sunday. The festival aimed at raising awareness about the benefits of indigenous mustard varieties and the potential damage that Genetically Modified (GM) mustard entails.
- Arundhati Nag, a famous theatre actor, inaugurated the festival and signed a cloth banner that demanded the protection of indigenous mustard crops. The organisers have also requested the Centre to revoke its permission for GM mustard.
- Multiple mustard varieties and dishes made with mustard were on display as the organisers explicated the benefits of using mustard oil cakes and plants as mineral sources for the soil and cattle feed.
Why it matters? The organisers believe that the introduction of GM mustard threatens the rich diversity of India’s 4,000 native varieties and harms consumers’ health. Indigenous mustard is important for the farming sector and food systems in India.
- The central government has argued in the past that GM mustard will increase yield and food security and ease import bills.
(Image credits: Kavitha Kuruganti’s Twitter post)