http://hinduonnet.com/stories/2003041703430400.htm

Bt cotton farmers suffered losses, says Greenpeace

The Hindu
By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE APRIL 16. Farmers who cultivated Bt cotton have suffered huge
losses, according to a study conducted by Greenpeace in three districts of
the State.

The study on `Performance of Bt cotton in Karnataka' was conducted during
February and March in Raichur, Dharwad, and Haveri districts. Karnataka was
the second largest in the country in terms of area with Bt cotton being
cultivated in 16,950 acres.

Ananthapadmanabhan, Executive Director, Greenpeace (India), told
presspersons here today that the input costs for cultivation of Bt cotton
were much higher than non-Bt cotton hybrids. As many as 77 per cent of
farmers interviewed reported that bollworm affected Bt cotton plants.

Besides increase in pesticide and fertilizer costs, farmers reported a rise
in labour costs as the cotton bolls were smaller in size and packing
took a
longer time. The Bt cotton seed is priced at Rs. 1,600 a packet while non-Bt
cotton seed is priced at Rs. 450 per packet, he said.

The yield of Bt cotton and non-Bt cotton hybrids was more or less the same.
However, in Raichur District, non-Bt cotton hybrids fared better. The market
value for Bt cotton was lower than non-Bt cotton hybrids. This was because
of the shorter staple fibres and the relatively dull colour of the cotton
fibre, the study pointed out.

The market price of Bt cotton was between Rs. 1,600 and Rs. 2,100 a quintal
against Rs. 1,750 and Rs. 2,600 for non-Bt cotton in the Raichur market. In
Dharwad, the market value for Bt cotton was Rs. 800 less than that of the
non-Bt cotton hybrid, the study said.

Mr. Ananthapadmanabhan said the Congress-led Opposition in Andhra Pradesh
had secured compensation for farmers who had suffered crop loss. But the
State Government in Karnataka was yet to acknowledge the truth on Bt cotton
failure. The Union and State governments were protecting the U.S.
multinational, Monsanto, and its Indian partner, Mahyco, which
introduced Bt
cotton in the country, he charged. The Indian Government approved commercial
cultivation of the first genetically modified crop, Bt cotton, on March 26
last year. Farmers in six States, who took up its cultivation, reported
negative results. The Centre and the State Government were providing wrong
information on Bt cotton output and fabricating reports, charged Divya
Raghunandan, a Greenpeace campaigner.

Greenpeace demanded that Monsanto be made to pay compensation for the loss
incurred by farmers in the State due to failure of the Bt cotton crop. It
also called for withdrawal of Bt cotton seeds from the market.

It urged the State Government to blacklist Monsanto and disallow it from
deluding farmers with its propaganda.

In a press release, the President of a faction of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha
Sangha, M.D.Nanjundaswamy, said: "From the field trials up to the harvest,
the claims of the seed companies have been belied."