oh..it must be ok then....why would they lie?

[Guest guest]

" BIOTECH CROPS GET A RAVE REVIEW " FROM PRO-GM INDUSTRY ZZZBODY

" Biotech crops get a rave review " is the headline in the St Louis

Post-Dispatch - Monsanto's hometown business paper. Like other

American papers, it's reporting a study showing that US farmers who

plant GM crops are " saving more money, reducing environmental damage

and producing more per acre " . For the farmer, the study says, this

all adds up " to a 27 percent improvement in net farm income " .

 

This is not from the first time that the study's authors, the

National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy (NCFAP), have

produced such eye-popping statistics based on US Department of

Agriculture (USDA) data.

 

In the same month that a previous NCFAP report was published, the

Economic Research Service (ERS) of the United States Department of

Agriculture (USDA) released its own extensive analysis of the

economic performance of GM crops in America, revealing a completely

different picture. The USDA report went so far as to

conclude, " Perhaps the biggest issue raised by these results is how

to explain the rapid adoption of GE crops when farm financial

impacts appear to be mixed or even negative. "

http://www.btinternet.com/~nlpwessex/Documents/usdagmeconomics.htm

 

For more on the dubious background and antics of the pro-GM National

Center for Food and Agriculture Policy (NCFAP) and its biotech

industry backers: http://www.lobbywatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=94

 

For the Organic Trade Association's response to the study

http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4556

 

ON THE LOBBYWATCH FRONT SEE ALSO FUNGUS 'N' MANURE, AND OUR

LOBBYWATCH SPECIAL.

 

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FOCUS ON ASIA

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+ INDIA: FARMERS GO ON RAMPAGE AFTER BT COTTON FAILS YET AGAIN

In Warangal in Andhra Pradesh, hundreds of outraged farmers went on

the rampage and demanded compensation for the failure of Bt cotton.

The farmers staged a sit-in and damaged shops.

 

The District Collector has asked the company to visit the fields to

estimate the losses and make arrangements to pay compensation. The

Minister for Agriculture for Andhra Pradesh has convened fifty study

teams to look into the failure.

 

To make an independent assessment, scientists from the Centre from

Sustainable Agriculture visited villages in Geesukonda Mandal of

Warangal district on 19 October, 2004. The following are their

findings.

 

In Rattiram Tanda, a small hamlet of Kommala village, various Bt

cotton hybrids are being grown in more than 100 acres. The villagers

purchased the Bt cotton hybrids from Warangal market hoping to

tackle the dreaded Bollworm. But shattering their hopes, the Bt

hybrids failed.

 

Mr Veeraswamy has grown Bt MECH-12. The plants are small, with few

bolls. Insects are eating away the bolls, despite the so-called new

technology. More than 30% of the plants in the field have dried up.

When split open, wilt symptoms are clearly seen.

 

The story is repeated with Ms Vankloth Vijaya who grew Bt RCH-2 of

Raasi seeds, or Vankloth Balaraju who grew Bt MECH-184.

 

Till now farmers have spent around 8 thousand rupees on pesticides

like Avaunt and Tracer besides Rs 1600 on seeds. When the suffering

farmers contacted the dealers, they were told that the dealers were

not responsible.. The company never visited or advised the farmers.

 

In Elukurthi Haveli, Mr Yadava Reddy has grown Bt RCH-2. The crop

has not performed as expected. The plants suffered wilt. The bolls

are infested with bollworms. In Konayamakula Mr. Narasinga Rao has

grown Bt MECH-12 with similar results.

 

The wilt symptoms in Bt cotton started appearing in the initial

year. The company and the government had turned a deaf ear to the

apprehensions raised by several investigating teams closely

following Bt cotton's performance.

 

It has been claimed that weather fluctuations caused the damage. It

is surprising, then, to see that all other cotton hybrids in the

neighboring fields are performing better, given the same weather

conditions! What is more striking is that wherever gap filling was

done with non-Bt cotton hybrids, the plants are healthy!

 

....On the other hand, in several villages where farmers adopted non-

GM non-pesticidal management of insect pests, the crop is in very

good condition and such successful experiences are already appearing

in the media.

 

Punukula in Khammam district is one such village where farmers are

growing cotton (including popular hybrids) without resorting to GM

cotton or pesticides. This is being done on more than 600 acres.

 

In Warangal district as well, farmers in Jatok tanda, Gudi tanda, KK

tanda etc. in Parvathagiri mandal as well as Nelapogula and Neermala

villages in Jangaon, with the help of organisations like MARI and

CROPS, are successfully using non-pesticidal options in their cotton

cultivation. The cotton crop is in very good condition here too.

 

It is reported that Bt Cotton farmers in Warangal face losses in the

majority of the areas where it is being grown. The same is the case

with farmers from others districts like Kurnool, Mahaboobnagar,

Karimnagar, Adilabad and several other districts. Given the extent

of the acreage of Bt Cotton reportedly sown in the state of Andhra

Pradesh, the losses to the farmers are unimaginable.

 

In Chinna Nekkonda village of Warangal district, a Bt cotton farmer

has committed suicide yesterday and the distress is growing among

the farmers.

http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4557

http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4546