Bt Cotton: Biotech companys' evil genes show up in India.

[Jagannath Chatterjee]

Study report shows foul practices in Bt cotton sales
ASHOK B SHARMA
COMMODITIES BUREAU
Financial Express, September 22, 2005
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=103320

NEW DELHI, SEPT 21:  A report released by the Monitoring and Evaluation
Committee (MEC) set up by Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has
alleged that transgenic seed companies have resorted to false and
misleading
claims and unethical practices to sell Bt cotton to farmers.

The CSOs namely Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, Greenpeace India,
Adivasi Ekta Sangathan, AKRSP, Dead, Grameen Vikas, Jan Saahas, Kheti
Virasat Mission, Krishnadevaraya Rythu Sankshema Sangam, Krushi, Mari,
Navajyoti, Pasumai Tayagam, Prasun, Rashtriya Satyagrah Dal, Sampark,
Sarvodaya Youth Organisation, Secure, Vasps and Yuva had jointly set up
a
MEC on Bt cotton. This MEC was coordinated by Greenpeace India and
Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA) and the study was undertaken
in
Punjab, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

The study compiled evidences to show numerous unethical practices for
its products and then claiming it as "the willingness of Indian
farmers". The MEC has called for accountability mechanisms to be put
in place,
to ensure that aggressive and unethical practices used by the Bt Cotton
seed corporations to gain market share are put under check.

"The aggressive and misleading selling techniques adopted by the Bt
Cotton companies show utter disregard for the farmers' choice to buy
seed.
This also severely limits the options available for promoting safer
alternatives like organic farming," alleged Dr GV Ramanjaneyulu,
executive
director, Centre for Sustainable Agriculture.

According to Ms Thangamma Monnappa of Greenpeace India, "Agriculture is
a state subject and most states have failed utterly to evaluate the
frightening scale of this Bt Cotton disaster.

"The agricultural department needs to take a firm stand to ensure that
the regulatory regime is strengthened for the protection of the
farmer." A researcher in CSA, Ms Kavitha Kuruganti said, "The Bt cotton
industry would like us to believe that their sales are an indication of
farmers' acceptance of the technology and that it is a science-based
industry. We have a different story to tell.

"This compilation of various marketing practices, including stories of
outright lies on the Bollgard posters, misleading advertisements of
farmers with exaggerated claims to lure other farmers, of using a
variety
of incentives and even questionable means to attract and entrap farmers
makes us question the claims of the company."

"Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest of life by the power of the spirit." -  Aurobindo.

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