Farmer Doubts about GM Cotton Grow 

KULTIDA SAMABUDDHI / Bangkok Post 3jan03

While the debate over genetically-modified crops carries on in Thailand, farmers in India, Indonesia and the Philippines, where GM cotton and corn have been grown commercially, are complaining that GM crops incur more losses than gains.

After planting Bt cotton for a year, some Indian farmers have vowed not to plant it again because it gives less yield and commands a lower price than non-Bt cotton, said Satheesh PV, of Deccan Development Society, an Indian-based farmers organisation.

"Furthermore, farmers still have to spray large doses of pesticides despite the company's claim that Bt cotton is a pest-resistant variety," he said.

Bt cotton, a transgenic cotton variety developed by biotechnology giant Monsanto, contains the insecticidal gene of bacillus thuringiensis, a common soil bacterium, that enables the plant to produce its own pesticide.

Mr Satheesh PV spoke at a recent meeting of about 10 activists and farmer representatives from South and Southeast Asia to exchange lessons learnt from planting GM cotton and corn.

The meeting was hosted by Biothai, a non-governmental organisation working to promote alternative agriculture and biodiversity conservation.

"Bt farmers spend only 10% less than non-Bt farmers on pesticides," Mr Satheesh, citing research conducted in Andhra Pradesh, the first state in India where commercial planting of Bt cotton was allowed.

While the cost of cultivating Bt cotton is 10% higher than for the non-Bt variety, Mr Satheesh said Bt farmers' yields were 35% less.

"On average, Bt farmers got only 450 kilogrammes of cotton an acre while non-Bt farmers were able to harvest 700 kilogrammes."

As a result, non-Bt farmers made a profit of 5,368 rupees an acre on average while Bt farmers made a net loss of 1,295 rupees an acre. Non-Bt farmers made six times the profit of Bt farmers, he said.

Mr Satheesh said Monsanto sold the GM cotton seed at 3,500 baht a kilogramme while conventional cotton seed went for just 1,000 baht a kilogramme.

The Agriculture Ministry eventually told small-scale farmers to avoid planting Bt cotton because the technology would not benefit them.

Indonesian activist Riza Jahjadi, of the Pesticide Action Network, said GM crop plantations in Indonesia had failed, mainly because Monsanto, the largest cotton seed distributor, failed to buy produce from farmers as promised.

GM cotton growers also had to shoulder a heavier debt burden, Mr Riza said.

Several Indonesian farmers burnt their Bt cotton fields to protest against the government and the company for introducing Bt cotton without telling them about the potential loss.

The Thai Agriculture Ministry, meanwhile, is pushing for cabinet approval of field experiments for GM crops, a process that it hopes will lead to legalisation of commercial plantations of transgenic crops.

However, the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry opposes the move, fearing it would cause severe ecological damage.

Monsanto Thailand Ltd insisted GM crops were ideal for farmers in this region and denied Bt cotton plantations had failed in India.

Spokesman Kongtat Janchai cited other research by the University of Agricultural Science in India, which found that plant protection costs for Bt cotton grown in Mumbai were 64% less than for non-GM cotton while net profits from GM cotton were 50% higher than for non-GM varieties.

He said the company had no plan to promote Bt cotton among Thai farmers in the near future.

"Our priority product, likely to be launched following government approval of commercial GM plantations, is Bt corn.

At the first stage, Monsanto will focus only on edible crops," he said.

source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/03Jan2004_news12.html 5jan04