Farmers' leaders call for right to choose GM crops

Meet Parliamentarians and govt, seek removal of all hindrances in path of technological advancement of farming

A consortium of some farmers organisation from Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have urged the government to remove all hindrances in the path of technological advancement of Indian farming and let the farmers make their own choice of choosing high-yielding seeds like genetically modified (GM) ones.

The farmers leaders who have been camping in Delhi for the last few days met Parliamentarians and government officials to allow use of high-yielding varieties of seed to improve their per hectare production which could also include use of GM seeds.

Advocating the use of BT seeds, S Jaipal Reddy, said: “Agriculture community in Andhra Pradesh has benefitted from Bt cotton and now we hope that the government will soon allow commercialisation of other important GM food crops.”

Echoing his views, D Valter, president of Progressive Pro-technology Farmers Federation said, uncertainty over river water for irrigation casts a perpetual shadow on the fate of out crops, hence introduction of genetically modified rice that maximises per hectare yield ensure greater profitability and less tension.

Farmers’ leaders from north India said the government should either give farmers high-yielding seed varieties or else allow them access to the research done by private companies. “If commercialisation of GM crops is stopped then farmers should be given some alternatives as well,” another leader said.

Narendra Singh of Naujawan Kisan club of Punjab said farmers in Punjab and Haryana are not able to lead a honorable life despite giving record production of wheat and rice year after year as input costs have gone up several times.

“Subsidies have had a very adverse impact on small farmers of Punjab and only the big growers have benefitted from them,” Singh said.