BKS asks US seed producer Monsanto to quit India

NGO representatives told mediapersons at Gujarat Vidyapeeth that if Monsanto gets total control over the country’s agriculture,it will begin interfering in the political affairs and virtually become another ‘East India Company’.

They said Monsanto had done immense harm to farmers in several American countries who realised very late their mistake by using Monsanto’s seeds. The yield of GM crops went down after a few years and Monsanto did nothing to solve their problems,they said.

They added they were not only against Monsanto but all multinationals.

Kapil Shah from the NGO Jatan said the company had claimed its Bt cotton seeds to be resistant to all insects and pests,but now it has become vulnerable to pest attacks and farmers have to spend a huge amount on pesticides and insecticides.

Besides,GM seeds have been found responsible for increase in occurrence of cancer in the Bhatinda-Sriganganagar belt in north India.

The representatives later submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Narendra Modi asking him to keep Monsanto and other MNCs out of government sponsored projects and stop the sale and distribution of GM seeds.

The memorandum demanded an agriculture policy of promoting local seed producing and distribution companies as that would sustain the country’s sovereignty in food security.