Greenpeace: Multinationals target Asia for biotechnology products

In a statement, the international environmental watchdog body identified India, China, Thailand and the Philippines as being among the countries targeted by the biotechnology multinationals.

Greenpeace said the multinationals, headed by the American giant Monsanto, have been actively enlisting the support of the area's governments despite increasing evidence that genetically modified crops can harm beneficial insects, create new viruses and even cause allergic reactions in humans.

In India the government was actively promoting field testing of genetically modified cotton and seed production by Monsanto, "in total disregard of the irriversable environmental and human health risks and despite the glaring absence of the capacity to respond adequately to genetic pollution" the statement said.

The government granted permission for field tests and seed production despite an ongoing case in the federal Supreme Court questioning the legality of Monsanto's application for the tests, Greenpeace alleged.

"Aside from satisfying the needs of a desperate industry, the government is clueless about the potentially far-reaching impacts of GMC," Michelle Chawla, Greenpeace genetic engineering campaigner for India said.

The statement said field trials of genetically modified crops have also been initiated in Thailand and the Philippines with the obvious intention of pushing for their large scale cultivation and commercial release in these countries.

(la/dpa)