| Most farmer suicides relate to GM cotton - Times of India (30/9/2006) | |
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EXTRACT: Most suicide cases relate to those farming families which have run up huge debts because of the high cost in using the expensive genetically-modified cotton seeds, which have to be bought every year. Crop failures in this situation, therefore, leave farmers with debts they are unable to pay and are then hounded by loan sharks. GM WATCH COMMENT: This report comes in the same week as Indo-Swiss research showing India's organic cotton producers benefit from 40% lower input costs, up to 20% lower production costs, almost comparable labour costs, and higher cotton yields - all of which makes them far less vulnerable to loan sharks. The continuing suicide epidemic is corporate-bureaucratic murder. Monsanto-Mahyco hyped GM cotton to the skies to these vulnerable farmers, using every PR trick in the book, while callous and corrupt local and national politicians joined in the chorus. The tragic consequences are being played out on a daily basis. All in a day: Six farmers commit suicide NAGPUR: Upbeat projections by Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and generous financial promises from the Centre aren't working in Vidarbha. At least six more cotton farmers, crushed by debt, have committed suicide in the last 24 hours. The toll in September alone has gone up to 116, the highest in a month within the last decade, Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti, a pressure group fighting for the farmers's cause, said on Friday. Deshmukh had claimed in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party president Sonia Gandhi last week at the Congress CMs' conference in Nainital that the situation was improving in the cotton belt of Vidarbha where 318 farmers had reportedly committed suicide since July 1. Earlier, the PM had announced a Rs 3,750 crore special relief package for six worst-hit districts. Introduction of BT cotton in Vidarbha has led to a spurt of farmer suicides. Most suicide cases relate to those farming families which have run up huge debts because of the high cost in using the expensive genetically-modified cotton seeds, which have to be bought every year. Crop failures in this situation, therefore, leave farmers with debts they are unable to pay and are then hounded by loan sharks. The latest names on the Vidarbha death roster were those of Prakash Madavi of Yavatmal, Parasram Rathod of Washim, Ramesh Bhatkar of Chandur Bazar in Amravati, Gopintah Dongre of Warud in the same district, Ravindra Chakbandalwar of Chandrapur district and Rama Baghel of Gondia, according to Samiti president Kishore Tiwari. Tiwari rejected the government claim that loans were being liberally distributed to farmers. "In fact on Friday, a large number of farmers started an agitation in front of Ghonsa branch of Indian Bank in Wani taluka of Yavatmal district after the bank manager declared that he had received instructions from superiors to stop loan disbursement. Amravati divisional commissioner S K Goyal has, however, stressed that the loan flow this year was doubled as compared to last year. "Till date, we have given farm loans of Rs 1,500 crore covering eight lakh farmers in the division, he told TOI recently. "Last year about Rs 750 crore was distributed among around four lakh farmers," he said. He also claimed relief measures like cash compensation for crop losses, aid for medical treatment, funding for mass marriage of farmers' daughters were made available to take care of major problems of the distressed farmers. In addition to this, subsidies were given in schemes aimed at supplementing income of farmers through poultry, dairy farming and agri-processing business. Reacting to the latest deaths, Maharashtra deputy chief minister R R Patil said the government was in a fix, because all possible measures to address immediate problems of farmers had been taken care of. "There is a moratorium on loan recoveries. No one is knocking at farmers' doors demanding old dues. I have asked police department not to support such activities of bank staff," Patil said. |
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