"The fact that data has been so clearly manipulated in this case, raises serious doubts about the authenticity of any data that GEAC would use to review Bt Cotton. Any decision in favour of Bt Cotton would only reinforce the fact the even the GEAC has something to gain from Monsanto-Mahyco."
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Greenpeace exposes Government-Monsanto nexus to cheat Indian farmers: calls on GEAC to revoke BT cotton permission
03 March 2005
INDIA/New Delhi
http://www.greenpeace.org/india_en/news/details?item_id=771071

One day before Bt Cotton comes up for review before the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), Greenpeace and Sarvodaya Youth Organization released the two versions of a report prepared by the Joint Director of Agriculture (JDA) of Warangal district, Andhra Pradesh. While the data in the original report reveals the comprehensive failure of Bt Cotton in Andhra Pradesh, a second, visibly tampered-with version exaggerates the yields, thereby reducing Monsanto’s compensation burden by nearly Rs. 2 Crore.

The report was commissioned under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the AP government and Monsanto-Mahyco, the agro-chemical company authorized to market the controversial Bt Cotton seeds. The state government had signed this MoU with Monsanto-Mahyco, ostensibly to safeguard farmer interests, in response to the widespread failure of Bt cotton across Andhra Pradesh. The report was expected to assess failure of the Bt Cotton crops, and secure commensurate compensation for farmers.

"The falsification of this report is clear evidence of the corporate-government nexus," says Divya Raghunandan, GE Campaigner, Greenpeace India, "The fact that data has been so clearly manipulated in this case, raises serious doubts about the authenticity of any data that GEAC would use to review Bt Cotton. Any decision in favour of Bt Cotton would only reinforce the fact the even the GEAC has something to gain from Monsanto-Mahyco."

"In response to a complaint lodged by a local BJP leader in February this year, the Collector of Warangal District admitted to the manipulation of the data in the report and ensured them that there would be an enquiry into the matter. No action has been taken as yet. The MoU signed in Andhra Pradesh was supposed to protect the interests of farmers," said P. Damoder, Secretary, Sarvodaya Youth Organization, Warangal. "It is shameful that it is being abused to protect the commercial interests of the company instead."

"Lured by the false promises made by the company I sowed 2.5 acres of Bt Cotton during 2002-03 cotton season. Having incurred a massive loss of about Rs 25,000, I filed a case against Monsanto- Mahyco and my local dealer. The company has used every trick in the book to try and persuade me to drop the consumer case I had filed against them in August 2004," said T. Ramanaiah, a farmer from Kapulakanaparthy village in Warangal, "The real truth about Bt Cotton failure is evident in the field - it remains to be seen whether the GEAC will acknowledge this truth tomorrow."

In light of the evidence of gross regulatory failure, Monsanto's collusion with government agencies and consistent failure of Bt Cotton on several counts, Greenpeace demands that:

. The GEAC immediately revoke permission to Monsanto’s Bt Cotton.

. An enquiry be conducted in Warangal district and farmers be compensated without further delay.

. The assessment reports of all the Bt cotton growing states must be made available in public domain.

See a part of the doctored document from Narsampet, Andhra Pradesh!
http://www.greenpeace.org/india/reports/ex-summary?item_id=771206&language_id=en

For further information:

Divya Raghunandan, Genetic Engineering Campaigner, Greenpeace India Tel: +91-9845535406, E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Vivek Sharma, Media Officer, Greenpeace India Tel: +91-9343788424, E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Namrata Chowdhary, Media Officer, Greenpeace India Tel: +919810850092, E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.