Skip to main content

Gujarat farm leaders join hands and decide to fight the bill meant to legitimize genetically modified seeds

By Our Representative
Farmer leaders of Gujarat have come together in solidarity to express in one voice that they oppose the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) Bill. They have asserted that under no circumstances they can afford to lose their freedom and sovereignty and risk the takeover of their food, farms and livelihood by multinational companies like Monsanto. The meeting was attended by farmer leaders such as Badribhai Joshi of Gujarat Khedut Samaj, Prafulbhai Senjaliya of the Organic Farming Cell of Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, and Sarvadaman Patel, president, Organic Farming Association of India and Kapil Shah of the Jatan Trust.
The leaders were unanimous in their condemnation of the action of the Government of India of tabling this controversial Bill in the Lok Sabha on April 22, 2013, despite vociferous opposition to it inside and outside Parliament. The controversy didn’t end with the introduction of the Bill. Apparently the Minister for Science and Technology wanted the Bill to be sent to a Joint Committee, considering the impact of the Bill on food, farms, livelihoods, health, trade and environment. But the Bill was referred to the Standing Committee on Science and Technology.
"As the nation has grown the farmers have been weakened, slowly losing control over lives livelihoods. At the last count over 2,84,694 farmers have killed themselves in the last decade and a half due to acute distress, many of them cotton farmers. Now this Bill is further facilitating the takeover of farms and food by genetically modified (GM) crops/foods, propagated by large companies", a statement issued at the end of the meeting said.
"The Bill will result in a single window fast track approval mechanism for GM crops, which are a threat to human health, biodiversity and farm livelihoods. The Bill works in the interest of biotech seed companies by avoiding liability mechanisms or public scrutiny", the statement added,
“Is this government concerned about the farmers in the country? If so, why is this Bill being pushed with such haste without due consultations? There is not even an effort to translate the text of the Bill in local languages and making it accessible to farming communities around the country. How can a Bill that will affect farming seriously not be made available in local languages for farmers and groups like us to analyse and study its impacts on their livelihoods?", the statement worndered.
"How are we supposed to give feedback on this in 30 days during peak farming season? This very thoughtlessness and callousness of the government demonstrates that farmers don’t matter to the government,” said Bhogibhai Patel of the Gujarat Khedut Samaj.
“The Bill should be available in the public domain for feedback for at least 90 days, the text of the Bill should be made available in the local language and public consultations should be held in various locations so that farmers can express their views on GM technology and the Bill. We would like to point out that during Bt brinjal consultations in Ahmadabad farmers had attended in large numbers and expressed their views against GM crops. They have a right to do so again,” said Kapil Shah of Jatan Trust.
He added, “Biotechnology, particularly environmental release of GMOs, which comes under purview of BRAI is problematic with bans, moratoriums and other restrictions in many countries around the world. Serious problems have emerged in countries that have adopted it including negative trade impact, serious environmental problems (super-weeds and super-bugs), and massive losses for farmers due to contamination incidents. A compilation of over 400 studies which point to the problems with GMOs in agriculture has been put together by the Coalition for a GM-Free India.”
“We had enough bad experience with Bt cotton, there is no more choice left and all non-Bt cotton has been contaminated. We do not want anymore GM crops, the one GM crop that has been cultivated has already destroyed choice for organic cotton farmers. We can’t allow this technology to take over our livelihoods. With the advent of BRAI we will lose all control over our seeds. Already we are struggling to save seed, to preserve the purity of our seeds. With this there will be no choice left and we can’t allow it to happen,” said Sarvadaman Patel, President of the Organic Farming Association of India.
Badribhai Joshi of Gujarat Khedut Samaj said, “If this Bill is passed the biggest beneficiary is going to be Monsanto. With a single GM crop the company has already reaped over 1500 crores in royalty fees alone. With this Bill the money from rural India, from the pockets of farmers will flow into this company. This Bill is a Monsanto Protection Law. Therefore, we ask the government to drop the Bill.”
“The Bill has such draconian provisions. It puts biosafety data about GM crops outside the purview of right to information (RTI) law. Why should companies hide research data, do they have something to hide? Why is the govt making a regulatory body which facilitates this? Transparency is very important with technologies like GM, which are irreversible and have far reaching impact. Public interest is of utmost importance, particularly with regard to a technology which affects each and every one of us through our food, business confidentiality can’t be a reason for hiding vital data,” the joint statement said.
The gathering of leaders has decided on their course of action. They propose to have Sammelans, in Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Sabakantha and Bharuch. A signature campaign will be launched to collect signatures of MPs from the state. A Dharna is being planned for the last week of July in Gujarat which will culminate in “Chalo Delhi”, if government doesn’t respond by then.

Comments

TRENDING

Adani coalmine delayed? Australian senate fails to pass crucial "reform" amendment for project's financial closure

Adanis' Mundra power plant, controversial in Australia By  A  Representative In what is being described as a new “new hurdle”, the proposed Adani coalmine in the Queensland state of in Australia failed to get the crucial Australian Parliamentary nod, essential for financial closure for one of the biggest coalmining projects in the world. The government lost the Senate vote 35-33, meaning the legislation won't pass until the Senate returns in mid-June.

Paul Newman wasn't just remarkably talented, he was anti-war activist, disdained Hollywood excesses

By Harsh Thakor*  On January 26th of this year, we celebrated the birth centenary of Paul Newman, one of the finest actors of his era. His passing on September 26, 2008, after a prolonged battle with lung cancer, was met with an outpouring of tributes and remembrances from artists across the film industry, all sharing their thoughts and memories of the legendary actor.  

Aurangzeb’s last will recorded by his Maulvi: Allah shouldn't make anyone emperor

By Mohan Guruswamy  Aurangzeb’s grave is a simple slab open to the sky lying along the roadside at Khuldabad near Aurangabad. I once stopped by to marvel at the tomb of an Emperor of India whose empire was as large as Ashoka the Great's. It was only post 1857 when Victoria's domain exceeded this. The epitaph reads: "Az tila o nuqreh gar saazand gumbad aghniyaa! Bar mazaar e ghareebaan gumbad e gardun bas ast." (The rich may well construct domes of gold and silver on their graves. For the poor folks like me, the sky is enough to shelter my grave) The modest tomb of Aurangzeb is perhaps the least recognised legacies of the Mughal Emperor who ruled the land for fifty eventful years. He was not a builder having expended his long tenure in war and conquest. Towards the end of his reign and life, he realised the futility of it all. He wrote: "Allah should not make anyone an emperor. The most unfortunate person is he who becomes one." Aurangzeb’s last will was re...

Health expert Dr Amitav Banerjee on commercialization of healthcare and neglect of natural immunity

By AK Shiburaj  In an interview with me, eminent health expert Dr. Amitav Banerjee has examined the impact of privatization on the healthcare sector, the implications of the World Health Organization (WHO) becoming a commercially driven entity, and the consequences of a pharmaceutical industry prioritizing profit over public health. He argues that an approach ignoring the importance of natural immunity fosters a drug-centric system that undermines the benefits of modern medicine.

Haven't done a good deed, inner soul is cursing me as sinner: Aurangzeb's last 'will'

Counterview Desk The Tomb of Aurangzeb, the last of the strong Mughal emperors, located in Khuldabad, Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, has this epitaph inscribed on it: "Az tila o nuqreh gar saazand gumbad aghniyaa! Bar mazaar e maa ghareebaan gumbad e gardun bas ast" (the rich may well construct domes of gold and silver on their graves. For the poor folks like me, the sky is enough to shelter my grave).

Trust, we (from People to PM and President) did not take a Holy Dip in some Holy Shit!

By Dr Mansee Bal Bhargava  I could see two deeply interlinked aspects between human and water in #MahaKumbh2025. Firstly, the HOPE that a ‘holy dip’ in the River Ganga (colloquially referred as dubki and spiritually as ‘Snan’) will cleanse oneself (especially the sins); and secondly, the TRUST that the water is pure to perform the cleansing alias living the hope. Well, I consider hope to be self-dependent while, trust is a multi-party dependent situation. The focus here is on the trust and I shall write later on hope.

Hyderabad seminar rekindles memories of the spark lit 50 years ago by students

By Harsh Thakor*  History is something we constantly remember and reflect upon, but certain moments and events bring it back to our memory in a special way. For the Telugu people, and Telangana in particular, the memorial seminar held on February 20–21 was a significant occasion to recall the glorious events, transformations, leaders, and heroes of past struggles. Thousands of students rewrote the history of people's movements in Andhra Pradesh, carrying revolutionary zeal and the spirit of self-sacrifice to levels comparable to the Russian and Chinese Revolutions.

4th Dalit literature festival to address critical issues affecting Dalits, women, tribals

By A Representative  The 4th Dalit Literature Festival (DLF) has been announced, with the theme "World Peace is Possible Through Dalit Literature."  The festival will take place on February 28th and March 1st, 2025, at Aryabhatta College, University of Delhi (South Campus).  Organized by the Ambedkarvadi Lekhak Sangh (ALS) in collaboration with Aryabhatta College, Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (DASAM), and other organizations, the DLF aims to highlight the power of Dalit literature in fostering global peace and addressing social injustices.

Vadodara citizens urge authorities to adhere to environmental mandates in Vishwamitri River Rejuvenation Project

By A Representative   A coalition of environmental activists, ecologists, and urban planners in Vadodara has issued an urgent appeal to state and municipal authorities, demanding strict compliance with court-mandated guidelines for the upcoming Vishwamitri River rejuvenation project. Scheduled to commence in March 2025, the initiative aims to mitigate flooding and restore the river, but citizens warn that current plans risk violating National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders and jeopardizing the river’s fragile ecosystem, home to endangered species like crocodiles and Indian Softshell Turtles.  

Buddhist communities in Michigan protest for Mahabodhi Temple’s return to Buddhist control

By A Representative   Buddhist communities in Michigan have staged protests demanding the return of the Mahabodhi Vihara in Gaya, Bihar, India, to full Buddhist control. The Mahabodhi Temple, regarded as the holiest pilgrimage site in Buddhism, is currently managed under the Bodhgaya Temple Act of 1949, which grants a majority of control to non-Buddhists.