Renowned agriculture scientist M.S. Swaminathan has said that Kuttanad is going to give the country the learning experience necessary to tackle rising sea-levels.Interacting with the media on the sidelines of the Sarada-Krishna-Satgamaya Foundation lecture on ‘Science, Public Policy and Food for All’ here on Monday, Dr. Swaminathan said the issue of climate change had added another dimension to the Kuttanad package of preparing for a higher sea level. Admitting that he was not aware of the present situation in the implementation of the Kuttanad package, Dr. Swaminathan said, “we were told that the government has given some projects to IIT Madras to develop the detailed plan a few months ago. I hope something is being done,” he said.Explaining that Kuttanad will be a globally important heritage site, Dr. Swaminathan said that it was a unique ecosystem. “And our project has given them detailed guidelines on what needs to be done. The Government of India had also assured funds. Now it is up to the State government to take action,” he said. Recommending that the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) should organise a separate all-India coordinated trial under its control of all genetically modified (GM) materials, Dr. Swaminathan said the safe and responsible use of biotechnology had to be controlled by a regulatory authority that enjoyed public, media and political confidence.
Pointing out that the country was yet to create the instruments to test how much was genetically modified, Dr. Swaminathan reminded that “technology is as good as we use it. With sea level rise, you need more salt water tolerant varieties,” he said.
The Hindu, November 2nd , 2009
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