DuPont to build biotech plant in India (Can you say GM corn and rice?... I knew you could...)

[cyberpj]

DuPont to build biotech plant in India
By LULADEY B. TADESSE, The News Journal
Posted Wednesday, March 14, 2007 at 11:59 am

DuPont Co. will open its first plant biotechnology center outside the United States at a new research center in Hyderabad, India.

The biotech center will be located in the $22.5 million DuPont Knowledge Center which is expected to break ground this month and open in early 2008.

DuPont is leasing a facility near the site and already has hired 20 new crop genetics scientists for the center. Another 80 scientists will be hired by the end of the year.

“The center will allow us to access tremendous scientific talent in the region in support of DuPont’s efforts to create products that address the food, feed, fuel and materials challenges of the 21st Century,” said Balvinder S. Kalsi, president and chief executive of DuPont India.

The biotech center is part of DuPont’s $100 million investment in research to develop new seed products and speed up their introduction to the market. Last month, the company announced its plans to add more than 400 positions globally, including 20 in Delaware, to boost the competitiveness of its seed subsidiary, Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc.

Pioneer, the largest U.S. corn seed producer, will fill the new positions with existing DuPont workers as well as new hires.

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070314/BUSINESS/70314034

NOTE:
It's more than just jobs we should be upset about. They leave the US for legal reasons too. You can bet that Halliburton wants to leave for the tax breaks and un-extraditable for supoenas reasons - but major chemical companies will be exploiting a lack of environmental and oversight laws so they can continue this GENETIC PLANT ENGINEERING experiment without prying eyes.

GM is NOT JUST A CAR COMPANY.
Here are some things US News isn't paying much attention to:

New study shows GM maize caused kidney and liver toxicity
GM WATCH daily
http://www.gmwatch.org
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EXTRACTS: ...biotech giant Monsanto used incomplete data to obtain approval of its genetically modified corn and... laboratory rats, fed with a genetically engineered (GE) maize produced by Monsanto, have shown kidney and liver toxicity, according to a new study... published today in the journal "Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology".
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VANCOUVER/BRITISH COLUMBIA --
snip -
The release of this latest data shows the urgent need for mandatory labelling of GE products in BC. The results also confirm the warnings raised by the Royal Society of Canada's expert panel on biotechnology.(4) In 2001, the panel of scientific experts found that the lack of independent verification of company produced data could lead to the approval of improperly tested and potentially unsafe products.

"As many as 70% of the processed foods on store shelves in BC could contain GE ingredients, and there is absolutely no way for consumers to know this important fact," said Eleanor Boyle of GE Free BC. "Consumers have a right to know what is in the food they eat, so that they can make the decision whether or not to consume this untested and risky technology. BC has the opportunity to lead the way on this issue in Canada and Premier Campbell should listen to British Columbians who want mandatory labelling of GMOs and take action before the next provincial election."

A recent Greenpeace poll, found that 79 per cent of BC residents support legislation requiring all GE food to be labelled, and indicated that the issue could be significant in the next provincial election.(5)

Greenpeace calls for immediate action from BC Premier Campbell on mandatory GE labelling
Press release, MARCH 13 2007
http://www.springerlink.com/content/1432-0703

1 The article is published online (www.springerlink.com/content/1432-0703 ) by the American journal Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology; it will be printed in May.

((By the way - anyone else notice that these types of articles are posted online after the daily editions are out and delivered? This is about the 4th or 5th time that has caught my eye. It will be interesting to see if this story is in tomorrows print copy.))

ADDED NOTE:
In fact it's already off the front page now -- but they WILL tell you what's on television tonight...