The study by K Chandrasekar and GT Gujar has found that the bollworm develops "31-fold resistance to the toxin 'cry1ac' within six generations."

1.Bt cotton benefits short-lived: study
2.Supreme Court Sends Notices To Four Ministers Over Monsanto Wheat Patent
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1.Bt Cotton Benefits Short-lived: Study
Financial Express (India), Feb 11 2004
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=52355

NEW DELHI:  There is some bad news for Indian farmers who have started growing a type of genetically modified cotton containing the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) gene. The Bt gene produces a toxin called “cry1ac” that kills the bollworms - the biggest enemy of cotton.

But a study just released by entomologists at Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi has cast doubts on the long-term benefits of Bt cotton.

It has found that the protection afforded by Bt gene is at best for six years. -PTI
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2.Supreme Court Sends Notices To Four Ministers Over Monsanto Wheat Patent
OUR ECONOMIC BUREAU
ASHOK B SHARMA
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=52639

NEW DELHI, FEB 13:  A three-member Supreme Court bench has issued notices to the ministries of commerce, industry, law, agriculture and environment on a public interest litigation accusing the government of not objecting to American seeds multinational Monsanto claiming patent of Indian wheat landrace before the European Patent Office (EPO).

The apex court bench consisting of Chief Justice VN Khare, and justices SH Kapadia and Brijesh Kumar, acting on PIL filed by the New Delhi-based Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, on Friday served showcause notices to ministries concerned as the time for filing objects to the patent rights lapses on February 21.

Monsanto was granted patent rights over Indian wheat landrace, Nap Hal, on May 21 last by the EPO, Munich (vide No EP0445929 B1). Three NGOs, namely Greenpeace International, RFSTE and Bharat Krishak Samaj jointly filed a petition on January 27, 2004 before EPO, Munich, challenging the patent rights given to Monsanto.

As the government did not come forward to defend the country’s bio-resources from being patented by a foreign multinational, RFSTE filled a PIL before the Supreme Court on February 9.

Advocate for the petitioner, Pincky Anand told FE, "the petition was filed on January 9, accusing the government of failing to challenge the patent rights given to Monsanto. On January 12 we conveyed to the Chief Justice about the urgency of taking up the case as the time needed for the government to challenge the patent rights accorded to Monsanto expires on February 21. The court was convinced about our arguments and decided to issue notices to ministries concerned in the government."

Anand also said, "in our petition we have also demanded that the government take steps to identify the variety of the Indian landrace patented by Monsanto. We cannot believe Monsanto which has stated in its patent application that the patented Indian landrace is Nap Hal. The patented variety is no doubt an Indian landrace. Monsanto has admitted this in its petition."

Ranjana Smetacek of Monsanto India, told FE, "the patent in question relates to an Indian landrace, Nap Hal. This patent rights was filed by Unilever in 1990. In 1998 Unilever’s wheat division was acquired by Monsanto and hence the patent rights were transferred to Monsanto. Unilever sourced the genes of Nap Hal from the gene banks in the multilateral system. The original patent claimed to use the variety for processing bread in Europe. Now that Monsanto has withdrawn from its cereal business in Europe in mid-October last, this patent no longer holds good."  

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