BKS support to Bt Cotton is unfortunate –VJAS

BKS support to Bt Cotton is unfortunate –VJAS

Nagpur-8^th july 2011

The recently published  study on the "Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of Bt Cotton in India" jointly undertaken by the Council for Social Development (CSD) and Bharat Krishak Samaj (BKS) confirms that cotton production in India has risen substantially with the use of the hybrid Bt cotton seeds resulting in benefiting small farmers is part of spate of bogus 'news reports' and study reports which are  appearing the newspapers on productivity of Bt cotton is not in line with fact and ground reality of Maharashtra cotton farmers who facing crop failure in the same period BKS study and state Govt. paid Rs.4000 crore to nearly 4 million cotton farmers for Bt.cotton failure in 42 lakhs hector more over State agriculture commissioner Umakant Dangat officially admitted that  India has the lowest cotton productivity in the world and Maharashtra, the lowest in India and union agriculture  minister  Mr Sharad Pawar own admission that vidarbha dry land farmers are losing more than Rs.2000 crore per year since introduction of Bt.cotton seed in vidarbha,  is proven fact that it’s classic example  of promoting wrong technology  to wrong class agrarian community as rain sensitive crop has proven killer seed in west vidarbha as 95% farmers opted this technology are dry land farmers hence we urge BKS to look at ground reality and withdraw is unjustified report as mark of respect to around 9000 vidarbha farm widows who innocent victims of promoting rain sensitive Bt.cotton seed in drought prone dry land region of west vidarbha where small afrmers are the most effected and debt trapped after adopting Bt. Cotton cultivation  , informed today vidarbha cotton farmers’ advocacy group Vidarbha Jannadolan Samiti (VJAS,) president Kishore Tiwari  who is  demanding the complete ban of genetically modified Bt.cotton seed in vidarbha and documenting cotton farmers suicides since 2002 .

‘We urge team of Council for Social Development (CSD) and Bharat Krishak Samaj (BKS) members   associated with the study which contradicting the facts of   dying field of vidarbha where more than 9000 cotton farmers committed suicide and 100% farmers who opted Bt.cotton seed are in distress and debt and review the reasons of  Central Institute of Cotton Research (CICR) Director Keshav Kranthi changed version  that the cost of seeds of straight varieties is much lower than Bt varieties, besides which these varieties become ready for plucking in just 150-160 days whereas BT varieties take around 180-200 days, which reduces the need for fertilizers, pesticides and other nutrients substantially and unlike Bt cotton varieties, seeds derived from straight cotton varieties can be used during the next season ,these are ground realities totally ignored hence study reports is untrue and misleading hence we want Indian Govt. “white paper”  the performance of Bt. Cotton seed in last decade’ Tiwari added.

“BKS study report timing is unfortunately coinciding when Monsanto Bt.cottonseed manufacture clearly is pulling out all stops and enhancing its propaganda budget and acting through both deals with media and with individual, sold-out journalists other seed corporations in order to make environment for BRAI bill to get through in Indian parliament  and defend the ground report finding of  The parliamentary standing committee on agriculture which is likely to table it’s report on  July 15 and possibly even hold a press conference by that date hence BKS report needs to reviewed seriously which is not in line with pathetic condition of Maharashtra cotton farmers where situation is almost same nine cotton growing states of India in 2009-2010 as area under Bt.cotton cultivation has increased from 9 million hector to 12 million hector but there is  no increase in cotton production where in dry land cotton growing regions Bt.cotton yield has touched to minimum in last three years   even there is drastic increase in use of fertilizer and pesticide  hence BKS-CSD report is looks like stage managed desk work with cut-paste technology which has discredited reputation of BKS and CSD  hence we demand it’s withdrawal Tiwari added.