NGOs Oppose GM Food Dumping In Iraq, Favour UN Role

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New Delhi, April 13:: After the occupation of the major part of Iraq by the US and allied troops, the issue of humanitarian food aid is becoming murkier in the war-torn country. NGOs worldover, including Oxfam and Greenpeace have started protesting against genetically modified (GM) food being dumped in Iraq by US. Countries like France, Germany and Russia has demanded that relief and reconstruction operations in Iraq should be done strictly under the supervision of the UN, so that the US firms do not grab all the opportunities.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has said that the Iraqi agriculture has been devastated and may lead to food crisis and livestock diseases. The United Nations has appealed for $ 2.2 billion to reconstruct Iraq.

Meanwhile, some global NGOs say that the pertaining situation in the war ravaged Iraq is not yet favourable for India to participate in a rehabilitation process. However, Union agriculture minister Ajit Singh feels that with its burgeoning food stocks, India can be of help. India and other countries can participate in the process if such operations are conducted under UN supervision.

Three voluntary organisation in Bangladesh, namely UBINIG, Nayakrishi Andolon and Narigrantha Prabartana have written to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and other UN agencies not to use any GM food as aid to war victims in Iraq. They have also cautioned that the US after the war may try to introduce the GM wheat recently developed by Monsanto for cultivation in Iraq. They have, therefore urged that the reconstruction and rehabilitation work after the war should be supervised by the UN and not by US.

In a joint letter to the WFP, the three NOGs of Bangladesh said “we have obtained information that not only the oil transnationals but the beleaguered GM food industry are also trying to move in to distribute the untested and unwanted GM food as part of the ‘humanitarian aid’. America is getting ready to solve so many of its economic problems over the dead and the injured in Iraq. They have already tried to use their junk GM food to feed the famine affected people in Africa. But African governments did not accept the GM food. Instead they decided to remain hungry.”