MONITORING REPORT DHAKA: Dr Mohammed Ataur Rahman, a veteran Bangladeshi agriculturist, has said that Genetically Modified (GM) foods or crops should not be classified as food at all, as they are liable to cause various health problems affecting the liver and kidney, and hence unfit for human consumption.
“Main problem with GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) is that it takes hundreds and thousands years of adaptation in an environment for the development of a genetic character,” Dr Rahman told the media at the International University of Business Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT) in Dhaka.
He said that there are many examples of GMOs which are not suitable for natural adaptation. Without proper adaptation or acclimatization, something may succeed for the time being, but in the long run, it will perish, he maintained.
“If we consider chickens, although the growth is rapid, it is abnormal, they cannot move, and are sexually disabled. Therefore, they become genetically and environmentally dependent,” explained.
Dr Rahman said, “We further learned that GMO crops are unsuitable for developing countries in particular, as their development requires massive investment in research. Consequently it drains resources from much needed research in the development of low cost alternatives.
He mentioned that a legal challenge issued against Monsanto has forced the multinational agricultural giant to release raw data revealing that animals fed its patent GM corn suffered liver and kidney damage in around three months.
“Genetically manipulated food crops are not fit for human consumption and should not be classified as food. No legitimate study has ever proven them to be safe or nutritious,” he asserted.