The Monsanto Suicides

The Monsanto Suicides

I’m directly copying and pasting this from Mary Jane’s Farm . Global class-action lawsuit, anyone? Maybe we should start with buying only organic cotton…

Did you know? 250,000 Indian farmers have committed suicide as a direct result of genetically engineered cotton.

Why? How could this happen? In 1998, the World Bank’s policies forced India to open its seed sector to global agribusiness giants. As a result, traditional farm-saved seeds have now been replaced with sterile, genetically engineered seeds owned by Monsanto, which require repurchase each growing season. Though Monsanto claimed that their seeds would bring down cultivation costs, a study by the New Delhi-based Research Foundation for Science, Technology, and Ecology says the costs of raising cotton have actually increased nine times with the GE seeds. This includes Monsanto’s $80 “technology fee” for every 2.6 acres of crops—a crippling expenditure in a country with an average annual per capita income of only $450. Depending on empty promises of high yields and low costs from Monsanto, farmers turned to using the GE seeds, causing the conventional seed to virtually disappear in just one season. Whereas conventional cotton crops depended only on rainfall and cow dung for fertilizer, natural rainfall is often not enough for the GE crops, and farmers are forced to buy expensive fertilizer and pesticides as well. This has led to poverty and severe indebtedness for the farmers, often to moneylenders who charge exorbitant fees. One failed crop can put farmers into a downward debt spiral with no hope of ever paying back their loans.

In a futile attempt to relieve themselves of debt, some farmers even resort to selling their own organs. When these and other attempts fail to rectify their financial situations, many farmers commit suicide, often by drinking the very pesticides they’re forced to use on their GE crops. When we first reported on this phenomenon in 2008, we were appalled to read that 25,000 farmers had committed suicide. But just
four years later, that figure has risen to a staggering 250,000 farmers.

Organic cotton can help.(excerpted from Organic Consumers Association, www.organicconsumers.org). Organic cotton projects, like the one initiated by [Indian] textile manufacturer Arvind Ltd. in villages in the Akola region of aharashtra, are helping. In 2008, Arvind reported, “There has not been a single case of farmer’s suicide in the area where we launched the project in February last year.” The project, which follows organic farming practices and avoids the use of fertilizers and pesticides, has begun raking in cash for farmers. And fair-trade labeling allows consumers and distributors alike to track the origin of the goods to confirm that the benefit is actually reaching the farmers.

Currently, the project covers over 10,000 acres of farmland and involves working closely with nearly 1,200 farmers. The farmers are organized into self-help groups of 10-15 neighbors. The company is training the farmers and providing specially evolved cotton seeds, since GE seeds are not allowed in organic farming. The organic cotton produced in the region is certified by the International Control System and carries the India Organic logo.

“We have not owned farmers’ land. We will pick up whatever they produce. They get payment within seven
days. They are happy about it. More than 42 percent of participants are small farmers, and only 30 percent
own 10 acres,” an Arvind representative said.