Vidarbha Farmers to oppose Maharashtra Govt. decision to allow GM Crops Trails
Nagpur-29th Nov. 2013
3 million debt-trapped distressed
cotton farmers who are innocent victims of first genetically modified (GM) crop
BT. cotton commercial trials resulting more than 11,000 farmers suicides have strongly
opposed recent decision of Maharashtra Govt.
to give permission to 28
proposals to conducts field trials of various GM crops after high-power
committee set up to promote GM crops in states
headed by Nuclear scientist
Dr.Anil Kakodkar has cleared the proposals mostly from unregulated private seed
companies having association with American GM seed giant MNC Monsanto which is
under scanner and litigations throughout the world for unfair trade practices
and charges of promoting Gm crops which are unsafe for health and environment
moreover USA based Gm seed company is being blamed for creating seed monopoly
and is party to American super power to control ‘Agriculture –food economy’ of
the world hence we urge Maharashtra
Govt. to cancel all NOCs given for field trials of GM crops in Maharashtra as
this will be converted in commercial trails Genetically Modified (GM) without making
any a proper regulatory and safety
mechanism , Kishore Tiwari President of Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS), an
activist group working for farmer and demanding ban on GM crop since 2004 said in press release today .
Earlier the recommendations of Supreme Court technical expert committee imposing
an indefinite moratorium on the field trials of Genetically Modified (GM) crops
till the government comes out with a proper regulatory and safety mechanism has
upset the game plan American GM seed giant MNC Monsanto to hassle free
commercial trails of GM crops hence this is back door entry ewith help of Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Maharashtra Chief Minister Prathaviraj Chavan who are very close to these MNCs and strong supporter of GM crop for the
reason known to the world but fround reality is western Vidarbha which is known as farm suicide capital of India after
2004 when Indian Govt. allowed very rain
sensitive Bt.cotton commercial trials which has proved as disaster as
Technology was suitable for dry land cotton farmers and successive bt.cotton
crop failure and mounting debt has started farm suicide spiral which is till
continued and this truth was confirmed by Indian parliamentary committee headed
by Basudeo Achaya MP reports too but cartel in Agri. Ministry and close liaison
of MNCs has been able push GM crops even
after this vidarbha farmers’ genocide
hence we are indebted with Supreme
Court technical expert committee historic decision” Kishore
Tiwari added.
‘Vidarbha cotton farmers has paid
cost misdeeds done by regulators
which ignored several issues relating to
health safety data of GM crops that biotechnology companies had used to obtain
approvals aimed at commercial release of the crops without any socio-economic
impact study during evaluation, the panel said ,that has confirmed by apex
court technical committee hence we want criminal prosecution against concerned
who allowed Bt.cotton seed commercial
trails in dry land region of vidrabha where there is no protected irrigation
facility as farmers forced to kill
themselves due to massive crop failure and mounting debt converting region as
graveyard or dying field of farmers and
tragedy is till continued’ Tiwari added.
“We urge Maharashtra Govt. to
scrap proposed GM crop field trails until there is more definitive information
from sufficient number of studies as to their long-term safety based on the
examination of the safety dossiers, it is apparent that there are major gaps in
the regulatory system as it is serious that GM crops for which India is a
center of origin like rice, brinjal, and mustard which is being kept on hold
which reflects view of the Parliamentary
Standing Committee on Agriculture, in a report August 2012 had asked for ban on
GM food crops in the country” Tiwari added.
No comments:
Post a Comment