New Delhi, Sept. 26: India's bee keepers have joined the campaign against the release of genetically-modified (GM) mustard for cultivation, expressing fears that it will adversely impact honey production and exports and threaten the livelihood of tens of thousands of families.

But scientists have described such fears as "baseless and driven only by myths and rumours" and asserted that there is no evidence to suggest that the release of GM mustard will cause harm to bees or honey production.

Members of India's confederation of bee keepers from Bengal, Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh, have announced plans to stage protests at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Wednesday to express their opposition to the release of GM mustard.

A technical panel under the Union environment ministry evaluating a GM mustard variety developed by scientists at the University of Delhi has declared the crop as safe for consumption by humans and animals. The ministry has sought public responses by October 5.

"We fear that we will lose our source of income," said Ranjeet Azad, a beekeeper from Muzaffarpur, Bihar, who says he owns 3,000 bee boxes. "Nearly 60 to 80 per cent of the honey our bees make comes from mustard flowers," Azad added.

The confederation says importers in several countries, including the US and Europe, want honey that is certified as free of GM materials. India produces around 90,000 tonnes of honey each year, of which about 35,000 tonnes are exported, primarily to the US and Europe.

"India is currently the fourth largest exporter of honey in the world after South American countries. India's mustard honey is highly valued outside the country - but our exports may shrink if GM mustard is released," said Amit Dhanuka, chief executive officer with Bee Care India, a company involved in honey processing, marketing, and exports.

Members of the federation say bees are also likely to stay away from GM mustard which will lead to a drop in the country's honey production. "Mustard is our most important crop source for honey, we do not want this to be affected by GM mustard," Yogeshwar Singh, a member of the federation, said.

But senior scientists have said there is no reason for worry. The environment ministry's panel which analysed experimental data submitted by the Delhi university scientists has said there is no evidence of any adverse effects of GM mustard on bees or honey.

The GM mustard studies "reassuringly establish" that no significance difference was observed for honey bees foraging on GM and non-GM mustard based on data generated during nine field trials, the South Asia Biotechnology Centre (SABC) here said in a statement.

A senior scientist pointed out that GM canola has been growing in North America since 1996. "No significant adverse effects of GM canola on honey bees or honey production have ever been reported in the last 20 years," Charu Dutt Mayee, president of the SABC, said.

The SABC statement said the concerns expressed by the beekeepers' confederation appeared to be "politically motivated" and "non-scientific reaction to deliberately create fears among the general public and to mislead beekeepers".