MONSANTO = MONSTER

Shares of Monsanto India surged over 7 per cent after the government withdrew a notification capping royalty fee for new genetically-modified (GM) seed technology amid opposition from the biotech industry.

– The Hindu

The stock has reached to Rs. 2,219.65 at Bombay Stock Exchange and Rs. 2,219.90 at National Stock Exchange after this decision.

Monsanto: A Sustainable Agriculture company

Monsanto was founded in 1901 as a chemical company and its first product was saccharin (poisonous chemical) and was supplied to Coca Cola as sweetener. In 1920s it expands its operation into industrial chemicals and started producing aspirin, acetylsalicyclic (poisonous) and Polychlorinated biphenyles (PCBs). In 1930s it created its first hybrid corn seed (toxic). In 1960s Monsanto developed the most dangerous chemical Agent Orange in partnership with DOW Chemicals. The chemical was used in the invasion of Vietnam by U.S in which more than 3 million people were contaminated and ½ million civilians killed. Monsanto developed aspartame (extremely deadly neurotoxin) and supplied to the world through food which causes tumor and massive holes in the brains of rats when conducted scientific research by the FDA. In 1994 Synthetic Brovine Growth Hormone (rGBH) added to the list of poisonous food supply. Despite of opposition from scientific community for its danger, Monsanto claims it is good for health. In the other hand the dairy farms like Oakhurst Dairy that refused to use this toxic substance and labeled their product as ‘rBGH free’ got sued by Monsanto.

Monsanto is one of the most hated corporate around the world and still standing tall as a corporate giant in producing and marketing Genetically Modified (GM) seeds and Genetic Engineering. Monsanto has been involved in doing Genetic Engineering (GE) of Soybean, Wheat, Maize, Cotton, Potato, Alfalfa, Canola, Sugar beet and many more vegetables and crops which counts for more than 2000 varieties and sold in more than 160 countries. By GE it has ability to sterilize the seeds which restricts farmers to plant the seeds they harvest. Hence forces the farmers to purchase seeds again and again. It is the most dangerous innovation in this field which takes plight of the billions into a corporate hand. However it has promised not to use this technology. From the year 2000 to 2009 Monsanto was involved in Genetic Engineering of Pigs too.

Monsanto around the world

It has been a defendant to a number of lawsuits; mostly on the impact of its products on health and environment. It has remarkable controversies around the world. In 1996 it entered into Argentina with an approval of cultivating GM Soy in 14 million acres of land and by 2008 it increased to 42 million acres.  As a result it decreased the production of rice, milk, maize, potato, lentils etc. which forced a substantiate number of small farmers to leave countryside and many were displaced.

Brazil government allowed GM crops in 1998. Brazilians keep on protesting GM crops; in 2003 Landless Workers’ Movement took place by occupying several Monsanto farms, research sites and seeds. Finally in 2005 Brazil set up a regulatory board for GM crops. Brazilian farmers are suing Monsanto for collecting $2.2 billion royalty in unfair manner. It has been criticized by Chinese economist Larry Lang for having its control over Soybean, Corn and Cotton etc. It has misled the world many times and fed poisons, spread diseases, degraded environment, forced farmers to suicide.

India specific cases of Monsanto

In the year 1988 Seed Policy was imposed by the World Bank to India which altered the fate of seeds upside down. It attracted the corporates to the seed industry to make benefit. Before seeds were like common resource for the growers got a tag of intellectual property rights of some GE corporates. Seeds got controlled by the corporates. In early 2000s attention was drawn from all over the world after suicide of farmers in India because of crop failure, economic crisis, high interest rate and high price of Bt seeds (seeds genetically modified to make crystalline insecticidal protein from Bacillus thuringiensis). Monsanto denied to the request of Government of pay Rs. 4.5 crore to indebted farmers. Recently Kariyappa, a farmer from Turakanadoni village in Raichur taluk, has filed a private complaint with the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Raichur, against 15 Bt cotton seed companies including Monsanto because the Bt cotton crop has completely destroyed by pink-bollworm while they claim that Bt cotton is resistant to the same in addition to Spodoptera and semi-looper.

Why “NO” to Monsanto and GMO seeds?

It has been polluting our soil, water, air by various chemicals like PCBs, Glyophosate, dioxin etc. and by dumping million tons of toxic chemical wastes. Money cannot revive the kind of devastation has been caused but the irony of the millennium is Monsanto sues small farmers for defamation of its products. March against Monsanto is a worldwide movement against Monsanto and GMO for spreading toxicity, hampering health, slow poisoning, exploitation, where protestors are from more than half a century countries and 400 plus cities.Millions against Monsanto is another huge campaign by the Organic Consumers Association against Monsanto and other corporations responsible for Agent Orange, PCBs, Glyophosate and other toxins that hamper health and environment.

More than 90% of the cotton seeds are under control of this corporate giant Monsanto. Seeds are the base of agriculture and ultimately of food. With control over seed it control over lives of people. Huge numbers of farmers have committed suicide after sunk into the ocean of debt due to high cost of GM seeds and other related expenditures and are still committing suicides across the globe. GM seeds are not seeds which feed belly and keep people alive rather cursed ones which has forced many farmers to commit suicide.

Monsanto and other giants (Syngenta, BASF, DuPont, Dow and Bayer) in this sector have been assuming/claiming/pretending that GM crops are pest resistant but in many cases it has failed; rather it created more powerful pests and more powerful weeds. In return they have developed 2^nd generation, 3^rd generation seeds with a higher MRP and royalty and have made BIG/FAT profits.

It is argued that GM crops can assure the food security. In the other way it has various toxic contains which results in cancer, organ failure, infertility, allergies and other different vital diseases. Is it food security? Before people were dying out of hunger and now you give them poisons to eat and say don’t die with an empty stomach. Anyways my people, my brothers and sisters, my neighbors are dying.

Don’t you think…….

Giving permission to such corporates’ to operate

is an act against “Life on Earth” ?

- Bigan Mahakul