It’s official now Maharashtra Farmers lost Rs.10,000 Crore due Bt.cotton failure in 2011-12

It’s official now Maharashtra Farmers lost Rs.10,000 Crore due Bt.cotton failure in 2011-12

Nagpur -22nd 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 is likely to loose Rs.10,000 crore as per initial estimate of crop failure reported by 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 in a press release today.

‘The admission of Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar that Bt.cotton yield minimum in Maharashtra and 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 getting failed since 2005 and should banned even after very toll claim of GM seed American giant Monsanto and it’s completely complete economic collapse of Maharashtra and has extended farm suicide spiral from west vidarbha to all dry land region Maharashtra due to Bt. Cotton crop cultivation’ Tiwari added.

Here is Table that give detail of Rs.10,000 crore Bt. Cotton crop failure in Maharashtra

Bt.cotton crop failure in Maharashtra as reported by Chief Minister Prathiviraj Chavan	Bt.cotton average yield in Maharashtra as reported Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar	Total cultivation cost of Bt. cotton cost as per average Taken by administration	Return income to Bt.cotton farmers of Maharashtra	Estimated Bt.cotton crop losses in mahrashtra fro year 2011-12
40 lakhs hector	125 kg of lint per hector i.e. 400kg of cotton	Rs.40,000 per hector and total=Rs.16000 crore	Rs.6,000 crore maximum.	Rs.10,000 cror

“The above admission of Union Agriculture Minister and relief packages given by Maharashtra Chief Minister has made all Studies conducted by CICR as rabbish and nonsense that 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 Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. More ground reality contradicts the claim of CICR that Cultivation of genetically modified (GM) variety Bt cotton has helped in reducing use of pesticides and insecticides as pr 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 dry-land region to ban it’s cultivation ”Tiwari urged.