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Cotton growers in
eastern Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region have opposed the Indian
Government’s decision of allowing 51 percent foreign direct investment
(FDI) in multi-brand retail sector.
Several
suicide cases have happened in the cotton growing region of Vidarbha due
to the state’s pro-MNC policies, Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS), a
farmers advocacy group, said.
VJAS leader
Kishore Tiwari said the latest reforms proposed by the Indian Government
such as allowing 51 percent FDI in multi-brand retail sector, along
with the hike in diesel prices and subsidy cuts, would pave way for MNCs
to obtain control over the entire agrarian economy of the country.
He said Vidarbha is a perfect example that shows how allowing foreign
investments in agriculture inputs allows MNCs to build monopolies,
giving rise to unfair trade practices like cartelization.
Over 9,000 farmers have committed suicide since 2005 when American MNC
Monsanto was allowed to take over the region’s cotton economy. Following
continuous and strong opposition, the Maharashtra government ultimately
agreed to ban Bt cotton in the region, but the decision came after
several farmers lost their lives, Mr. Tiwari said.
The Government’s latest decision makes way for entry of MNCs like
Tesco, Walmart and Carrefour in the Indian business space, which would
further intensify the agrarian crisis, which on an average has caused
one farmer to commit suicide every eight hours, he added.
Mr. Tiwari said the proposed reforms would prove to be the last stroke
on the farmers, which would annihilate them in such a manner that they
would never be able to recover.
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