1.Bt cotton cultivation should be banned
2.Maharashtra's farmers lost Rs.10,000 crore due Bt cotton failure in 2011
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1.Bt cotton cultivation should be banned
VJAS, 22 December 2011
http://www.merinews.com/article/bt-cotton-cultivation-should-be-banned/15862959.shtml
IT IS official that dry land cotton farmers who opted for Bt, cotton in 40 lakh hectares are likely to lose Rs. 10,000 crores as per initial estimate of crop failure by Maharashtra administration, a farmer advocacy group has alleged.
The announcement of Maharashtra Chief Minister Prathiviraj Chavan that government will announce a bailout package to Maharashtra dry land farmers to the tune of Rs.2000 crore that will cover crop failure of Bt.cotton in 40 lakhs hector in the year 2011-12. This has happened only twice in last five years, the first time in the year 2005-2006 when government compensated farmers to the tune of Rs. 220 crore as it grew Bt cotton in 4 lakh hectares.
"Bt. cotton was first approved for commercial cultivation in nine states by Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) but as Per Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar's own admission that average yield of Bt.cotton in dry land areas of Maharashtra is only 125 kg. Now it's official that dry land cotton farmers who opted Bt.cotton in 40 lakh hectares are likely to lose Rs.10,000 crore as per initial estimate of crop failure reported by maharashtra administration," Kishor Tiwari of Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti, informed in a press release today.
"The admission of Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar that the Bt cotton yield is the minimum in Maharashtra, and the compensation package of Rs.2000 crore promptly announced by Maharashtra Chief Minister Prathiviraj Chavan for Bt cotton crop failure, has once again substantiated our long pending demand that highly rain sensitive and climate sensitive GM cotton crop has completely failed since 2005 and should be banned," Tiwari added.
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2.Maharashtra's farmers lost Rs.10,000 crore due Bt cotton failure in 2011
Vidarbha News, 21 December 2011
The announcement of Maharashtra Chief Minister Prathiviraj Chavan that Govt. will bailout package to Maharashtra dry land farmers to tune of Rs.2000 crore that will cover crop failure of Bt cotton in 40 lakhs hector in the year 2011-12 which is second in last five years when in year 2005-2006 Maharashtra Govt. compensated dry land cotton farmers of state after Bt.cotton failed to the tune of Rs.220 crore as it was grown in 4 lakhs hector only when Bt. cotton was approved for commercial cultivation in nine states by Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) but as Per Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar own admission that average yield of Bt cotton in dry land area of Maharashtra is only 125 kg of Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) cotton lint when average cultivation is cost is Rs.40,000/- per hector hence now it's official that dry land cotton farmers who opted Bt cotton in 40 lakhs hector are likely to lose Rs.10,000 crore as per initial estimate of crop failure reported by the Maharashtra administration, Kishor Tiwari of Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti, a farmers' advocacy group who are documenting Bt cotton crop failure and farmers suicides in Vidarbha since 2005, informed a press release today.
"The admission of Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar that Bt cotton yield minimum in Maharashtra, and the compensation package of Rs.2000 crore promptly announced by Maharashtra Chief Minister Prathiviraj Chavan for Bt cotton crop failure, has once again substantiated our long pending demand that highly rain sensitive and climate sensitive GM cotton crop has been proving a failure since 2005 and should be banned. It's contributed to the economic collapse of Maharashtra and has extended the farm suicide spiral from West Vidarbha to all the dry land regions of Maharashtra, due to Bt cotton crop cultivation," Tiwari added.
Here is a Table that gives the details of the Rs.10,000 crore Bt cotton crop failure in Maharashtra
*Bt cotton crop failure in Maharashtra as reported by Chief Minister Prathiviraj Chavan: 40 lakhs hector
*Bt cotton average yield in Maharashtra as reported Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar: 125 kg of lint per hector i.e. 400kg of cotton
*Total cultivation cost of Bt cotton cost as per average taken by administration: Rs.40,000 per hector and total=Rs.16000 crore
*Return income to Bt cotton farmers of Maharashtra: Rs.6,000 crore maximum
*Estimated Bt.cotton crop losses in Maharashtra from year 2011-12: Rs.10,000 crore
"The above admission of the Union Agriculture Minister and the relief packages given by Maharashtra's Chief Minister has proven all studies conducted by CICR (the Central Institute for Cotton Research) to be rubbish and nonsense as they showed there was enormous farmer support for Bt cotton as is evident from the fact that more than 90% of the area in all the cotton growing states in India is now under Bt cotton. Maximum gains in yield increase have been obtained Ain ndhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The ground reality contradicts the claim of CICR that cultivation of genetically modified (GM) variety, Bt cotton, has helped in reducing the use of pesticides and insecticides... Monsanto Bt cotton Bollguard I and II has developed resistance to insects 'American and spotted bollworms' including other types of sucking pests were still needed to be controlled through the use of pesticides, as per report of West Vidarbha. Bt cotton cultivation has increased toxicity to birds, fish, cow, goat and soil micro-organisms moreover farmers have complained that cottonseed cakes available in the market are harming their cattle as their animals are suffering from diseases, specially lack of appetite, and decline in milk production, premature deliveries and sudden deaths due to unknown cause. there are high rise in health cost in these area where Bt.cotton is cultivated since 2005 and hence there should corrective action to protect environmental degradation and toxicity of Gm seed and crop in this to ban its cultivation." Tiwari urged.
After globalization India having singed agreement with WTO India lifted quantitative restriction on import in 2004 allowing cheaper subsidies cotton in flow that brought down price where as permission to GM cotton seed popularly known as Bt.cotton has triggers massive wave of farmers suicides and vidarbha epicenter of that crisis as this highly controversial killer seed has increased cost of cultivation three times where as production has been dropped down and this is proven fact that in Maharashtra area under cultivation has increased from 4 lakh hector 44 lakhs hector and in India from 8 lakh hector to 120 lakhs hectors the official record shows that Indian cotton production has not been increased where at present more than 10 million cotton farmers in India are in deep distress and huge debt due to crop failure in last three years.
The killer seed company Monsanto has been able to create its monopoly in Bt cotton seed having illuminate local hybrid seed in last five years has created havoc as its officials admission that Bt.cotton seed BollGaurd I and II failed to protect plant from certain pest due to resistance now they are introducing BollGaurd III. In fact, cotton farmers who are cultivating Bt. cotton in 122 lakhs hctor massive land in India are dry land farmers and they are rain fed farmers where as less than 2% has got assured irrigation facility hence they working are bounded labor of this American seed company Monsanto which has increased its turn over in India to 100 times within time of 6 years off course this has happened with help of massive involvement of ICAR, Babus and ministers concerned hence thse farmers suicides are not suicides they genocide done by the Monsanto.
Vidarbha is one of the better examples of this on going genocide as in Maharashtra killer seed Bt cotton seed was introduced for commercial cultivation which was failed in 2005-06 and Maharashtra Govt. compensated for Bt.cotton seed failure but failed to stop spiral farm suicides. There is admission after admission that west vidarbha cotton farmer is dry land farmer and rain-sensitive Bt.cotton should be banned but nothing has been done so far as all involved in this genocide are enjoying the profits. In the last five years many such packages – loan waivers, compensation for damaged crops, subsidies for farm ponds – have come the farmers' way in Vidarbha. All these measures have not made an iota of a difference in the life of the region's farmers. The only thing certain in Vidarbha's farms is the harvest of suicides.
Time has come for the state as well as the Union government to come out with a permanent solution for dryland farmers whose life hinges on vagaries of nature. Over 5 million families in the state solely depend on cotton as a cash crop.
The area under cotton cultivation now exceeds 44 lakh hectares, nearly 54% of total cotton growing area of the country. New areas in Marathwada and even western Maharashtra are taking to cotton only to find that in dryland areas yields are too low to break even. Recurring losses mean piling up of debt burden forcing farmers to commit suicide.
Big losses for Maharashtra's Bt cotton farmers
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