AHMEDABAD, India - Indian environmental activists called on Monday for suspension of field trials and production of gene-modified cotton until further studies were conducted on possible health and environmental hazards.

The call for a 10-year moratorium follows the detection of large-scale illegal planting of genetically modified (GM) cotton in India's western state of Gujarat.

The government ordered the destruction of the GM cotton last Friday.

While the government does not currently permit commercial production of GM crops, it has allowed a few firms and research bodies to conduct field trials under the supervision of nominated agencies.

``The government should stop the field trials and further deployment of seeds in the field until it develops measures to control the hazardous effects of GM crops,'' said Vandana Shiva of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology.

Manju Sharma, secretary in the federal Department of Biotechnology, told Reuters last week the government was likely to allow commercial production of GM crops by March.

The first approval is likely to be given to Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company (MAHYCO), which has been conducting large- scale field trials of its GM cotton variety in collaboration with U.S-based biotech firm Monsanto (MON.N).

Green activists said the government should implement a stringent regulatory framework to make seed companies liable for any negative impact of GM crops on the environment or human health.

``There is a veil of secrecy as far the negative influence of GM crops on the ecology and humans are concerned. Therefore, companies should be asked to make public all information on the positives and negatives of GM crops,'' Chunibhai Vaidya of Gujarat Lok Samiti, a non-government organisation (NGO), said.

The federal Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) asked the Gujarat government to identify and destroy BT (bacillus thuringiensis) cotton sown on an estimated 10,000 hectares.

The move to destroy the cotton has led to calls from NGOs to make the seed company compensate farmers.

An Agriculture Ministry official in Gujarat said the government had yet to decide on any compensation package.

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