05.04.2012 | permalink
This has reference to a series of articles published in DNA in March 2012 quoting certain NGOs who blamed Bt-cotton as being responsible for crop failures and farmer suicides! These are false and totally baseless allegations deliberately intensified to coincide with the 10th anniversary of Bt-cotton on March 26 in an effort to negate its remarkable success in revolutionising cotton cultivation in our country. [...] farmers were honest in admitting that it was due to drought that their Bt-cotton crops failed, as also observed by the agriculture ministry, the report titled ‘Marathwada region beats Vidarbha in farmer deaths’ went on to provide statistics on farmer deaths and attributed such suicides to Bt-cotton! Further, the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti has mooted an immediate ban on GM crops. How can anyone hold Bt-cotton responsible for the failure of monsoons or lack of irrigation?