GMW: Farmers thrash GM seed company officials

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GMW: Farmers thrash GM seed company officials

" GM WATCH " <info

Wed, 6 Jul 2005 11:33:26 +0100

 

 

 

 

GM WATCH daily

http://www.gmwatch.org

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This report looks like it may relate to the same company whose Bt

cotton was previously hyped as not being prone to all the problems found

with Monsanto's Bt cotton - see:

http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5455

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Farmers thrash seed company officials

Newindpress, India, 4 Jul 2005

[url at end]

 

KHAMMAM - The honeymoon with the Bt cotton seems to be over in the

district. Repeated failure of the Bt cotton to yield the desired results

have driven the farmers to the edge and have placed the officials of the

agriculture department in a quandary.

 

Enraged farmers in the district, furious with the BT cottonseeds

failing to germinate vented their ire against the representatives of

the seed

company on Saturday. They stormed the agriculture department office and

thrashed the representatives of the seed company.

 

They alleged that more than 50 percent of the 14,000 BT cotton packets

distributed in the district failed to germinate. They were also peeved

that company ditched them in spite of being recognised by the

government.

 

Trouble began when hundreds of farmers from neighbouring villages

gathered at the office of the joint director of agriculture in

anticipation

of the compensation package. The seed company officials declared that

compensation would be paid even if 25 percent of the seeds fail to

germinate.

 

The farmers entered into heated arguments with the company officials

and even as the local representatives were explaining the situation to

the company higher ups, the farmers began to manhandle them.

 

The police arrived and quelled the agitation.

 

MLA T Veerabhadram and other leaders were holding discussions with the

officials of the agriculture department.

 

http://www.checkbiotech.org/root/index.cfm?fuseaction=subtopics & topic_id=4 & subto

pic_id=17 & doc_id=10691 & start=1 & control=673 & page_start=1 & page_nr=151 & pg=1

 

 

 

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