India Says No to Genetically Modified Foods and Seeds.

NEW DELHI (Nov. 18) XINHUA via NewsEdge Corporation -
Genetically modified seeds and food would not be allowed
into India till their safety is scientifically proved,
Agriculture Minister Nitish Kumar said on Saturday.

According to the Press Trust of India (PTI), Kumar said in
Calcutta, 1, 460 kilometers southeast of here, that there
is a lot of apprehension about genetically modified seeds
and food in the country.

"We can not allow import of things which are not
acceptable to the people. Let health and environmental
scientists decide how safe those are," the minister added
while inaugurating a regional plant quarantine center near
Calcutta.

Declaring that the central government has decided not to
allow entry of "terminator" seeds into the country, Kumar
said that while his country is aimed at becoming a
superpower in bio- technology, the concerns of the people
must also be addressed.

Warning that there has been a "globalization of pests," he
called on Indian scientists to remain vigilant to check the
entry of harmful exotic pests and germs into agricultural
produce of the country.