The Indian government has made an unprecedented move in pursuing seed giant Monsanto for ‘biopriacy’; India made the move following an outcry from farmers at Monsanto’s decision to genetically modify brinjal aubergine, an essential vegetable for many in the country. The government claims the BT aubergine violates India’s biodiversity laws.  

The outraged farmers have accused Monsanto of threatening their livelihoods by patenting a staple crop, which they say amounts to “stealing” the crop and commercialising indigenous plantlife and knowledge. They say the plant was developed over generations by India’s farmers and as such, cannot be made a product of a single company. The case represents the first prosecution of a company for an act of biopiracy.

Other GM crops have been developed in India and the act in itself is not illegal, but the government placed a moratorium on aubergine development last year at the behest of enraged farmers and NGOs. K.S. Sugara, a spokesperson for the Karnataka Biodiversity Board said, "It is not acceptable; farmers are losing the advantages they should get from the indigenous varieties."

Although the Biological Diversity act, which Monsanto is accused of violating, has been in place for a decade, the government has not moved quickly in pursuing the agribusiness. The Indian government announced its intention to sue a month ago but, as yet, no formal charges have been brought. It claims the delay is to ensure its case is water-tight, although NGOs have speculated it could be due to the government coming under pressure from multinationals working in the country.

India is one of the largest agricultural markets in the world. However, there is strong opposition to multinational companies and GM technology and farmers in the country have a large amount of influence; two thirds of the country’s population is employed in agriculture.