Beej Sheetal to start trials next year

Jalna-based mostly Beej Sheetal Investigate Pvt Ltd will begin the 2nd phase biosafety research trials (BRL-II) for Bt Brinjal from April 2021, reported the firm chairman Suresh Agarwal.

Beej Sheetal has to have out trials in at least two of the 8 states for which it has received acceptance by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) not long ago.

Two types

GEAC has authorized BRL-II trials for Beej Sheetal’s two transgenic Bt Brinjal Hybrids identified as Janak and BSS-793.

Jalna district in central Maharashtra is regarded as the seed hub of the Condition because a huge number of seed companies are positioned there. The dry weather of the district is most conducive for seed farming and storage.

Agarwal instructed BusinessLine that Beej Sheetal along with its sister concern Kalash Seeds Pvt Ltd are privately held and are principally focussed on vegetable seeds for the previous 34 yrs. Beej Sheetal is effective on biotech research, whilst Kalash Seeds looks just after creation and internet marketing of the vegetable seeds.

Kalash Seeds experienced a turnover of ₹180 crore and ₹30 crore financial gain for fiscal 2019-2020. Beej Sheetal becoming a research-oriented firm it experienced a turnover of ₹40 crore, he reported.

Presently about ₹20 crore has been used on research and other routines for Bt Brinjal, he reported.

‘Letter to PM’

Agarwal reported Beej Sheetal has been working on Bt Brinjal considering that 2005, but now just after fifteen yrs GEAC has supplied permissions for subject trials. When the trials are over, the subject information will have to be submitted again to GEAC. Just after that they consider the technologies for commercialisation.

He pointed out that for the previous ten yrs there was a moratorium on GM Brinjal, “But not long ago the firm wrote to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “simple letter” saying that the firm has labored on Bt technologies for Brinjal and it can be a true Make in India product or service.”