Taking cue of the persistent popularity and high voltage agitation on Jan lokpal Bill by social activist Anna Hazare, Farmer Welfare and Agriculture Development Minister Ramakrishna Kusmaria has sought assistance from the Gandhian to block Agriculture Bio Security Bill and Biotechnology Authority of India Bill from being passed in Parliament.
In a letter sent to the Gandhian, Kusmaria said that brining GM crops from “backdoor” through these Bills will destroy indigenous seeds and farmers will become slaves to multi-national companies.
Kusmaria said that 64 per cent population of the country is dependent solely on agriculture and agriculture-based cottage industries. America and European countries are casting evil eyes on India to enslave it again. Farming is the backbone of Indian economy and the country which will take hold of agriculture in India will also control its 64 per cent population as per its own will.
Kusmaria highlighted that through companies like Monsanto and Kargil, America and Europe have succeeded in changing our farmers’ traditional seed arrangements, crop cycles, traditional soil fertility arrangements etc. Farmers are forced to buy seeds and pesticides for crops like BT Cotton. Kusmaria has urged farmers that everyone is aware of initial increase in production of these crops and then increasing cost and decreasing yield later on resulting in suicides by farmers in Maharashtra and Gujarat. In the letter, Kusmaria said that earlier the Union Government tried to bring genetically modified BT Brinjal and BT Banana crops, which has been stayed by the Supreme Court. Such crops are detrimental to human health and environment. This has been established through experiments by scientists all over the world.
GM crops will destroy India’s bio-diversity. For this, we will have to save our bio-richness, he added.