8 Vidarbha farmers commit suicide in two days
1.blamed the suicides upon “sudden cotton crop failure” after “massive infection to BT cotton crop” in the region. His claim is at complete variance with the state government’s announcement of a “bumper crop” this year
1.blamed the suicides upon “sudden cotton crop failure” after “massive infection to BT cotton crop” in the region. His claim is at complete variance with the state government’s announcement of a “bumper crop” this year
2.the BT cotton distributor Monsanto that the BT cotton will improve production and pest management will be less expensive “is proving to be wrong” as average production is “not above two quintals per acre” this year too.
DH News Service Mumbai:
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/nov32006/update1925352006113.asp
Eight farmers committed suicide in the first two days of this month, taking the toll of suicides in Vidarbha to 1053 since June 2005.
Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti president Kishor Tiwari blamed the suicides upon “sudden cotton crop failure” after “massive infection to BT cotton crop” in the region. His claim is at complete variance with the state government’s announcement of a “bumper crop” this year.
Mr Tiwari said in a statement issued from Nagpur that the claims of
Vidarbha farmers were attracted to BT cotton as the seed packet was sold at Rs 750, but they could not provide intensive care that is needed for the BT cotton. Moreover, the BT cotton seed “is not suited for rain-fed cotton growers of West Vidarbha”, he said.
Last year, the state government had compensated two million cotton growers for crop failure due to infection and this year too the same infection has “already eaten away more than 50 per cent of cotton crop”, Mr Tiwari said.
The total production of cotton this year is “likely to be well below 15 million quintals”, Mr Tiwari claimed. The state government, however, has claimed a bumper crop with more than 35 million quintals of production.
The Vidarbha farmers’ suicides is attributed by experts to collapse of cotton economy of West Vidarbha in last decade.
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