Bollgard Saves the Day!

Bollgard is a variety of genetically modified cotton, initially developed by Monsanto but marketed (and developed in India) by Mahyco. This variety has genetically incorporated a gene from a soil dwelling bacterium, bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), in order to engineer a genetically modified variety of cotton that has a "built in" pesticide. The gene creates a toxin known as Cry1Ac, which is lethal to the bollworm, a common cotton pest. Upon ingesting cotton with the Bt gene, the bollworm's digestive tract dries up, resulting in the bollworm's death. Suppliers of the seed assert that due to the genetic incorporation of a pesticide into the cotton plant, farmers no longer have to spray their crops with pesticide, thereby saving money.

While this makes a lot of sense in many ways, the problem is that, in India, Bt Cotton has not always performed as promised. The seed costs four times as much as other cotton varieties, and farmers have borrowed money from private money lenders to afford it. But if the technology fails, indebted farmers are at the mercy of what are essentially loan sharks. In certain parts of India, farmers have resorted to suicide due to their inability to pay back their debts; since June 2005 alone, over 900 farmers in the state of Maharashtra have taken their own lives.

http://ipsnews.net/columns.asp?idnews=34336
http://artsci.wustl.edu/~anthro/research/biotech_suicide.html
http://soniafaleiro.blogspot.com/2005/12/death-along-famished-road.html
http://ranaghose.com/research/ros.pdf

(Please note I did not make this video, it was a commercial aired on television in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India)

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• gmo
• bt
• cotton
• andhra
• pradesh
• warangal
• bollgard
• mahyco
• monsanto
• geac
• biosafety
• wto
• seeds
• rana
• ghose
• biotech
• telegu
• india

[dorothydorothy111]

Die Monsansto! You killed so many farmers it is crazy..you should be locked up and we should throw away the key!

[97bugs]

screw you, Monsanto. fuck you!

[TheresNoTimeLikeNow]

WHAT A FLIPPING LIE, THEY HATE MONSANTO & BOLGAR, IT IS POISONED, FULL OF WEEVILS JUST LIKE MONSANTO. PROPAGANDA FROM BETTER LIVING THROUGH BIO WARFARE IN YOUR FOOD BROUGHT TO YOU BY BIG PHARMA & THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX, THEY ARE TO BLAME FOR THE WORLDS PROBLEMS. MONSANTO MUST DIE LIKE ALL THE PEOPLE, ANIMALS AND ONCE ORGANIC LAND THEY HAVE PUTREFIED & KILLED

[Parktrek]

all of Monsanto are Motherfuckers!

Your family tree is a circle!

And your parents are siblings!!!!!

[RJBEDARD1]

Monsanto can kiss my ass.

[haisanabe]

much farmers ;-)

[haisanabe]

Who belives that? It's so naive to belive that you can make profit with this hell things.

[1999kpk]

Monsanto Monsanto u made hell for indian farmers what they saved on pesticides is sucked up by you until last year uve gulped big bucks now u plan to gm clostridium thuringiensis and call and propagate it as double bt for what killing cows dogs every think thats on its way gm is influencing every life food chain god save this earth from mindless interveners in nature

[Epyon42]

Bollgard also ran over my dog, the monsters!

[hebephoebe]

What disgusting propaganda....this has resulted in a farmer's suicide every 8 hours in India's main cotton region....shame on them!