Activists to launch 'Jaivik Kranti' against GM crops

A group of activists promoting organic farming today launched 'jaivik kranti' (organic revolution) against genetically modified crops and use of pesticides in agriculture for protecting biodiversity through a five-year action plan.
The group also organised a dialogue today where state government representatives from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana held discussions on farmer suicides, biodiversity loss, drought situation in the country and pulses and oil seed crises.
The group will target 11 states and 101 cities across the country to create 1001 'javik grams' (organic villages) with the support of 5,000 local women's food processing units. Each 'jaivik gram' will have a seed bank and an operation 'ghani' (cold press) and 'chakki' (flour mill).

"We want GMO-free and chemical-free India by 2020. We want governments and ordinary citizens to realise that the GM miracle and chemical miracle is false miracle. We have paid too higher prices and we will not pay that price because we have better systems," environmental activist and founder of Navdanya, Vandana Shiva.
She was addressing a press conference on the issue that was also attended by Maharashtra MP Sanjay Dhotre and Maharashtra governments' Special Task Force Chairman Kishore Tiwari.
"The problem of farmer suicide and water loss in Maharastra is caused by killer crops like sugarcane and BT Cotton. More than 50 per cent of the area in Vidarbha and Marathwada should be given food crop cultivation including pulses, oil seeds and millets," Kishore said.

The government has recently capped royalty for the new genetically modified (GM) traits at 10 per cent of the maximum sale price of BT cotton seeds for the first five years in a bid to regulate the cotton seed market.