The Beijing News reported on June 20 since 1997 nearly 20 million Indian farmers committed suicide, in which a large proportion of cotton farmers! The introduction of transgenic cotton, seed prices, farmers loans, crop failure, unable to pay, the bank no longer loans, loan shark, farmers, unable to pay, go bankrupt, the last suicide --- the sad chain of Indian farmers committed suicide to show the general process. Local people blamed the U.S. sent genetically modified seed companies, globalization has brought to India an unexpected change in agriculture. However, if the protection of sound, then, only a genetically modified cotton seeds to be able to make 20 million or more Indian farmers collapse?
5 at the end of the day in 2009, the Indian state of Maharashtra region northeast of Ouidah woman, a young mango tree farmers Guo card is wiped tears of sorrow. Five days ago, his father hanged himself in this tree. A white turban and a pair of dilapidated sandals still in the trees, but their owners because of inability to pay 850 dollars in debt choice Sashourenhuan.
According to the National Crime Record Office statistics, from 1997 to date, nearly 200,000 Indian farmers committed suicide, in which a large proportion of cotton farmers.
Sudden increase in number of suicides
"Ten years ago, farmers can sustain life." Guo said cards, and many local farmers, he will blame his father's death the impact of globalization and genetically modified cotton in large-scale cultivation.
Ti Wali from Maharashtra was an engineer, and now his full-time job is to record the farmer suicides, wake-up state of the whole society concerns about the survival of farmers.
In his office, from floor to ceiling were painted over the chart, above records from 2001 to 2009 Vidal woman farmer suicides all areas. "In 2001, 52 suicide." Tiwa Li reading aloud, and the following years, this figure was almost straight up, "2002 104 2003 148 2004 447 from 2005, 445, 2006 1448 from 2007 1246 from 2008 from 1267. "when the average daily maximum of three farmers have committed suicide.
As farmers suicide rate is too high, the Government of India devoted to the statistics. The most common methods of suicide are hanging and poison, the most frequent suicide region is the cotton-growing belt in central India.
Tiwa Li believes that the United States beyond our shores, Missouri, the world's largest seed company Monsanto (Monsanto) is the main cause of these tragedies. Transgenic cotton seed trade has not only changed the agricultural production, but also to the Indian community is the great unexpected changes.
Lure lucrative high seed
The past, cotton seeds cotton farmers in India spending one of the smallest expenses.
Although production point of view, less than Indian cotton seed of transgenic cotton from the United States, but it can adapt to the unique climate of India --- every summer monsoon rainy season and subsequent long-term drought.
And Monsanto has changed all that. The last century, the company developed a genetically modified cotton, it can kill the bollworm larvae to produce a special protein toxins, making the cotton against their natural enemies can withstand.
2002, entitled "Paul Bell Cotton" genetically modified cotton seeds in India market. Per acre of farmland for cultivation of cotton for sale at Paul Bell 1400 rupees, about 35 U.S. dollars. Despite the intervention of the government that the company will lower prices by half, but only a few hundred dollars for the annual income of cotton farmers is still a small fortune in terms of overhead.
Transgenic cotton was originally brought considerable economic benefits, India's cotton production has doubled. In 2005, this cotton cultivation to reduce the use of pesticides 42%, planting transgenic cotton revenue per acre higher than non-transgenic cotton, $ 373. But did not last long, all the disadvantages also will appear. Small-scale farming for farmers in India, GM cotton is that they bring unexpected variables.
GM "acclimatized"
And the local Indian cotton, transgenic cotton needs more water to irrigation.
This large-scale cultivation of cotton farmers in the United States is not a problem, as long as the irrigation system can ensure complete harvest. However, the situation is different in India, All India 90 million farmers, 60% have less than 2.5 acres of farmland. So they planted transgenic cotton, the more "dependent on the weather," largely depends on cotton crop year rainfall.
Indian Central Cotton Research Institute study found that after 5 years, has a small amount of resistance to transgenic Bt cotton resistance to the toxin produced. Scientists predict that, after 10 generations of cotton cultivation, will generally be resistant to bollworm.
Produced in response to pest resistance, common practice is "bio-shelter strategy." In the United States, the provisions of transgenic cotton in the area must have 20% of the normal non-transgenic cotton planting as a refuge for cotton bollworm, but only for large farm operations of GM crops. For small-scale cotton cultivation in India is difficult to promote Moreover, the two countries have different types of cotton bollworm.
Debt to borrow money to buy seeds
The introduction of transgenic cotton in India a few years later, the seed store to buy cotton seeds are labeled as genetically modified, resulting in greatly increased the cost of cotton farmers, but there was a mix of a lot of fake and shoddy products.
Because the transgenic cotton seeds high prices, some unscrupulous businesses in India will be non-genetically modified cotton seeds or pure labeled as genetically modified seeds sold in the market. Survey, non-formal brand on the market, only 26% of the first generation of GM cotton seed is genetically pure, 46% are mixed with non-transgenic cotton. They are treated as true if the GM cotton will bring painful economic losses.
Before the advent of transgenic cotton, the seeds of only a small fraction of the cost, if the current year's cotton harvest, farmers sharp drop in income in the second year of life will suffer some, but not a bankrupt.
But now, in order to buy seeds, most farmers National Bank loans to India. But if buy fake seeds or poor harvests, farmers unable to repay in the same year, the bank will refuse to provide loans again, this time farmers have to look for private banks loans. In addition, farmers who own no land can not apply for a loan from the bank, can only take the risk of higher loan-sharking way. In some places, usurious interest rates of up to 100%. And again, if the second harvest of cotton, or even just as expected harvest, the farmers will enter the vicious cycle of debt.
A farmer committed suicide by taking poison insolvency relatives said: "We heard that there will be a good harvest of genetically modified cotton, so everyone look for bank loans. May be the result not the case."
Survival of the underlying worrying farmers
Woman in the Maharashtra region Vader, his father committed suicide a few days later, Guo cards and brothers know his father who had been owed debt. Father from the first bank loan, then find a private loan shark. Son know his father on hand tight, but they did not expect the debt will father a corner.
Guo father's death card will be attributed to the high cost of seeds purchased. "If he does not loans to buy seeds, all of which will not happen." Father is the breadwinner of the family, but lost his father the day, the whole family have to rely on cotton for a living.
Indian scholars have pointed out that the GM cotton farmers are a large number of suicides caused by the incentive, it is not the only factor. Toward urbanization in the Indian context of the government and society failed to give adequate living conditions of the farmers concerned. And because the city makes a number of economic downturn experienced people to the countryside without agricultural farming. When the deterioration of economic conditions of farmers, because of security mechanism is not complete, committed suicide as their only choice.
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