VJAS Protests GEAC GM Cotton Approvals

REF: - FARMER'S SUICIDES APPROVAL TO BT COTTON FROM GEAC IS OPEN INVITATION TO VIDARBHA'S COTTON GROWERS' MASS SUICIDES - VJAS
NAGPUR : Saturday, May 19, 2007

Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti has termed The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) recent approval for mass commercial cultivation of 53 Bt cotton in the current season in India as open invitation to mass farm suicides in vidarbha as after introduction of BT cotton in vidarbha more than 5000 cotton farmers have already committed suicides and maharashtra govt. has already given rs.210 crore and rs.180 crore compensation to vidarbha cotton growers as BT cotton failed to give better yield and distressed farmers forced commit suicides.

VJAS chief and farm activist kishore tiwari strongly objected report of the expert panel headed by the director of Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR), BM Khadi to study the implications BT cotton failure in vidarbha. " Mahyco-Monsanto has managed GEAC and CICR both, we will not allow this mass genocide of farmers to continue" kishore tiwari added.

Earlier CICR and all agriculture universities have given opinion that BT cotton in rain fed area of vidarbha has failed but till Mahyco-Monsanto has managed the all govt. officials to arranged to hide fact and figure in apex court so that mass trails of fraudulent BT cotton to ruin the rural economy of vidarbha region resulting mass suicides of farmers.

As per GEAC recent order large scale field trials of 59 BT cotton hybrids has been given official permission in all over India. In the current kharif (summer) season 18 new BT cotton hybrids will be cultivated by farmers in north India. Among these are 13 hybrids with cry 1 Ac gene and MON 531 event, 4 hybrids expressing stacked genes (cry 1 Ac + cry 2 Ab MON 15985 event) and one hybrid expressing cry 1 Ac and Event 1 - JKCH 1050 Bt - developed by JK Agri.

In the central parts of the country, 35 new BT cotton hybrids will be cultivated by farmers in this season. These include, 23 hybrids with cry 1 Ac gene and MON 531 event, 5 hybrids with stacked genes (cry 1 Ac + cry 1 Ab MON 15985), 4 hybrids expressing GFM event with cry 1 Ab + cry 1 Ac genes and 3 hybrids expressing cry 1 Ac gene with Event 1.

The GEAC in its 76th meeting also renewed its permission for commercial cultivation of Mech-12 Bt in central India and Mech-184 Bt for both central and south India. Mech-12 Bt and Mech-184 Bt are developed by Mahyco-Monsanto and were suspended from cultivation in 2005 on account of its reported failure.

The regulator also gave its nod for large scale field trials of 34 BT cotton hybrids in north India. These include 24 hybrids with stacked genes cry 1 Ac + cry 2 Ab MON 15985 event, 7 hybrids with GFM event and cry 1 Ac + cry Ac genes and 2 hybrids expressing cry 1 Ac with Event 1. In central India field trials of 25 BT cotton hybrids are approved which includes 18 with stacked cry 1 Ac = cry 2 Ab genes and MON 15985 event and 6 expressing GFM event with cry 1 Ab + cry 1 Ac genes. Navakar-5 Bt has been allowed for large scale field trials in both north and central India.

"we are leading towards the another disaster in west vidarbha and this mass trials BT cotton will be main killer of thousands of cotton growers in this kharif season 2007"kishor tiwari informed.