Last time I was in India, a few years ago, I travelled to Arunachal Pradesh and didn’t bag a thing. It was not a trip for wimps, and every morning I quietly thanked God that I was still alive.But I didn’t catch a mahseer Hooked one for about five seconds, and it came off Terrific. He felt that catching nothing was better than hooking something.But I desperately want to catch a mahseer. There is a very large rock in the middle of the Cauvery river in Bangalore. It is one of the world’s best places to catch a big mahseer, the “Indian salmon” for which the river is famed.

But unless there is a croc chasing me, you won’t get me anywhere near that rock – mahseer hotspot or not. The water boils, bubbles and crashes, racing by as if it has only minutes to reach the sea.Clambering on to the rock, even with the aid of surefooted guides, is said to be perilous Getting off is downright life-threatening. These days, my self-preservation gene appears to be overpowering the stupidity gene that once ruled my life. I’m happy to leave Death Rock for those younger, fitter and less concerned with supplying lunch for the crocodiles.My friend John Bailey, who is on this trip with me, tells the story of being placed on the rock by a guide and left to his own devices. Critics say that conditions were designed to give the modified crop the best possible environmental performance, making it uneconomic in the real world.Senior officials expect that there will be no market for GM maize, and believe it will only be grown if biotech firms give farmers “offers they cannot refuse”..

This will appear to validate the Prime Minister’s desire to introduce the technology to Britain, but it will provide little comfort to the biotech industry.In the meantime, as The Independent on Sunday exclusively reported last October, atrazine, the pesticide used on conventional maize, will be banned. The chemical, which effectively sterilises the soil, is entirely responsible for the poor performance of the maize against its GM counterpart in the official trials.If it is to get permission for GM maize beyond 2006, the industry will have to prove its case all over again with a new set of studies, to show that growing its product remains more beneficial than traditional cultivation even after atrazine has been replaced.Ministers will insist that the GM maize is grown under the same conditions as in the official trials. Taylor thinks so too, and continues to insist the punishment inflicted on Ferdinand is draconian. But, because the case has attracted a blaze of publicity, the PFA chief does not hold out much hope of Ferdinand receiving a fair judgement second time around either.”The case has been sullied by the attention it has got,” he said “The whole thing has been blown out of all proportion. And it raises the possibility that he could still appear for England in this summer’s Euro 2004 finals in Portugal.The 25-year-old still maintains that pure forgetfulness was the only reason he failed to take the test at United’s Carrington training ground on 23 September. Gordon Taylor has urged Rio Ferdinand’s appeal panel to maintain an objective stance on his missed drugs test – but the Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive is not holding his breath.
Ferdinand surprised many observers on Friday when he announced his intention to fight his eight-month ban, while at the same time beginning his suspension on Tuesday as planned.In taking this unusual course of action, the Man-chester United defender, who played at Wolves yesterday, is banking on a reduction in the punishment which, at the very least, would allow him to play a part in United’s pre-season campaign.