VJAS urged Bt (GM )Cotton Promoters to visit devastation of cotton crop on 3.2 million hector in Maharashtra .

VJAS urged Bt (GM )Cotton Promoters to visit devastation of cotton crop on 3.2 million hector in Maharashtra .

Nagpur-13^th September 2009

Those who claims that Bt (GM )Cotton plants are having Drought tolerance and,the Genetically Engineered Bacillus Thuringenesis popularly known as Bt. cotton seed has capacity to produce antibiotic resistance to pest attack resulting in lower use of contact and non contact type pesticide and insecticide and drastic increase in yield of cotton should visit Maharashtra to see devastation of cotton crop on 3.2 million hector where innocent farmers struggling to save standing cotton crop being ruined by sucking pest of various types of aphids ,jessids, thriph and mealy bug has damaged more than 50% plants and now the very notorious killer disease known as “lalya” has been reported in most of districts of Maharashtra who have opted very costly Bt.cotton seed of US base MNCs Monsanto (a company that produces and markets a broad range of seeds developed with biotechnology ahs monopoly in India and this year in the market it was only Bt.cotton seed for cultivation that’s total replacement to Indian hybrid seed due to state owned promotion of this MNCs due to malafide interest Indian Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar who is defacto owner of Monsanto India), creating panic in the region Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti urged in press release today.

“We have been crying against the commercial trials of these Bt (GM )Cotton seed since 2005 when it was permitted and it failed that year and Maharashtra Govt. compensated Bt. Cotton crop failure due to attack of “lalya” to more than 1 million cotton farmers but instead of banning this killer seed ,it is being officially promoted ,now our cry is the reality but no body who is claiming dreaming benefits of Bt.cotton is visiting in Maharashtra cotton belt.

In last five year not only more than 7000 cotton farmers who opted to cultivate Bt.cotton have killed them selves but Govt. of India and local Govt.’s all bailout packages amounting to tune of more than Rs.24,000/- crore failed control agrarian crisis .now more than 2 million cotton growers are in huge debt and mounting despair and distress aggravating the agrarian crisis in the region .

The main reasons of Bt.cotton failure are

1.Cost of seed is four times than conventional hybrid seed

2.Requirement of fertilizer and pesticides for Bt.cotton seed is very high as per data of sale of fertilizer and pesticide increased almost six times in last 4 years in the cotton belt of maharashtra

3.Cost of cotton cultivation has jumped to almost five times in last 4 years but return on investment has decreased considerably resulting huge debt and massive default in institutional finance.

(Nabard has reduced agriculture credit target almost to 40% in comparison to it’s 2006 credit target due to poor recovery of crop loan in this cotton growing region in spite of mega loan waiver and relief packages and there is no significant increase in cotton procurement data in last three season as in Maharashtra it’s mostly state owned agency involved as main procurement agency )

VJAS urged scientific community to visit Maharashtra to see the truth of the propaganda related to GM cotton crops is that they have changed economic condition of cotton farmers . Bt cotton failed to resist drought, increase pesticide and fertilizer pollution more over it has degraded soil and forest to bring sudden climate change this year.moreover it’s very serious impact is as per Dr.vandan shiva’s Navdanya’s research in Vidarbha, Maharashtra, which has been proved that Bt cotton is killing beneficial micro-organisms in the soil. Reports of deaths of animals grazing in Bt cotton fields are also related to the fact that Bt toxin in plants is a broad spectrum, readymade toxin unlike the naturally occurring Bt in the soil organism. (Andhra Pradesh’s animal husbandary department’s report takes note of an increasing number of deaths of animals and pests who graze in Bt cotton fields.)

Now VJAS totally support Dr.vandana shiva’s demand to authentic, unbiased, independent and holistic science to inform the GM crop reality, not the false propaganda being peddled as science.

“Those who support humanity ,they should urge Indian Govt. to stop these mass genocide of cotton farmers in the name GM revolution” Kishore Tiwari asked for urgent intervention.