PRESS RELEASE: After Orissa, call for a ban on GM crop in Andhra Pradesh.

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PRESS RELEASE

 

"ALLOWING GM CROPS INTO ANDHRA PRADESH IS ILLEGAL – BAN THEM"

 

Hyderabad, April 8, 2008:

Addressing an anti-GM protest meet here today, farmer leaders of all

major farmers' organizations in the state of Andhra Pradesh demanded

that the AP government take a clear anti-GM stand and ban GM crop

trials in the state as has been done in other states like Kerala and

Orissa. The protest has been organized by the Coalition for a GM-Free

AP, a network of civil society organizations and farmers' groups.

 

Speaking

on the occasion, Mr Sarampalli Mallareddy, Vice President, All India

Kisan Sabha (affiliated to CPI-M) said, "When the first trials of Bt

Cotton began in the state and the country, the Legislative Assembly of

Andhra Pradesh passed a resolution against any GM crops and their

trials in the state. Any cultivation or trials in the state of such

crops is therefore illegal". He demanded that the AP government

ban such trials in the state and not allow any GM food crops.

 

Mr

Raghava Reddy, President of Bhartiya Kisan Sangh pointed out that the

government polices were allowing MNCs like Monsanto total control over

our agriculture. He pointed out that when chemical pesticides were

brought in, we were told that no harm will come out of them when the

reality today points out to a different picture. The same can be

anticipated from GM crops and the government should have a long term

vision about the impacts of such a technology, he said.

 

"We

are not against technology and we welcome any technology that helps in

improving the environment, economy and health of our citizens –

however, GE crops do not deliver these. They increase the cost of

production, cause deterioration in health and MNCs are making profit

out of this. We want sustainable agriculture practices to be promoted",

said Mr Samineni Ramarao, President, AP Rythu Sangam.

 

Sri

Ramakrishna, ex-MLA and President, Rythu Sangam (affiliated to CPI)

said that the all-party forum created of farmers' unions in the state

in the case of Minimum Support Price for paddy will also take up this

anti-GM cause.

 

"Self

reliance in seeds is very important and if all farmers start creating

their own seeds, no MNC can make profits out of farmers and I urge all

farmers to acquire those simple breeding skills – after all, companies

are exploiting seed-producing farmers on the one hand and

seed-consuming farmers on the other.. We need to put an end to this",

said Mr Gollamarri Shoury David, National Executive Committee Members

of Bharatiya Janata Kisan Morcha, affiliated to the Bharatiya Janata

Party.

 

Jamalaiah,

President of the Andhra Pradesh Shepherds and Goatherds Union promised

that their struggle would be intensified to get the government

answerable to the deaths of livestock after grazing on Bt Cotton

fields. He demanded a complete halt to all research on GM crops until

investigations on animal deaths are comprehensively done and made

public.

 

"Genetic

Modification is not true science, as it claims", pointed out Mr Ramesh,

General Secretary of Jana Vignyana Vedika, a people's science movement,

which expressed its solidarity to the anti-GM cause..

 

Mr

B Venkateswarlu and Mr Chittoor Rambabu also participated in the

protest meet on behalf of Telugu Rythu, affiliated to the Telugu Desam

Party [TDP]. Mr Jeevan Kumar of Human Rights Forum also addressed the

gathering.

 

The

protest was attended by more than 250 farmers and consumers from

different parts of Andhra Pradesh including ones affected by losses

incurred with Bt Cotton, ones who have experienced allergies while

working in Bt Cotton fields and ones who have lost their livestock upon

grazing on Bt Cotton. Further, scores of farmers who practice

ecological farming were also protesting, urging the AP government to

ban GM crop trials in the state.

 

This

protest was one of the events organised to mark a "Global Day of Action

Against GM Crops", including many protests all over India in different

states.

 

For more information, contact:

 

Kavitha Kuruganti of Centre for Sustainable Agriculture at (0) 9393001550 or kavitha.kuruganti G V Ramanjaneyulu of Centre for Sustainable Agriculture at (0) 9391359702 or gvramanjaneyulu -- Kavitha KurugantiCentre for Sustainable Agriculture12-13-445, Street # 1, TarnakaSecunderabad 500 017www.csa-india.org; www.indiagminfo.org

Phone: +91-9393001550 Think Simply. Think Wisely. Curb Semantics. Speak the Truth.

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