Few years back while visiting a village near Talwandi Sabo, district Mansa, the cotton belt of Punjab to study debt issues of farmers, I had the first realization of after effects of the much touted Green revolution. Visiting a household, the Punjabi warmth of welcoming us was not amiss but we really had to wait for the requested glass of water. It never came for good few minutes. Being very thirsty and at the expense of perhaps being rude to our hosts, I yet again gathered the courage to request for a glass of water. The hosts acknowledged again but it was never served. Post our discussions, we got up and I decided not to further press for it thinking in active social life one should never be too sensitive to these gestures. Our bike would have just travelled a few meters that a young boy called us to stop, he was running towards us with few plastic glasses and a jug of water. As embarrassed I was seeing this visual and before could ask, he himself went breathless to explain. “Our village has just two RO Water plants, one has not been working for few weeks and other had a long que so apologies, it took so much of time. I nonchalantly said, “never mind why did you bother, we could have had what you had at home”. His answer stunned me so much so that this perhaps would remain with me throughout my life. He responded, “the water at home is not fit for drinking”. “We have seen two deaths in our extended family from Cancer and even now we have others in the family diagnosed with it”. "We could never had allowed you to drink this water, after all you are, our guests”. Once done, he just ran back as swiftly as he came and needless to say, I was for loss of words then and go numb even today on recollecting this experience.
It was only later I got to know about “ Bathinda Bikaner Express”, a train which ferries numberless cancer patients from districts of Faridkot, Moga, Ferozpur, Sangrur Bathinda and Mansa for cheap treatment to Bikaner taking the infamous name of being called as the “Cancer express”.
The advent of Bt Cotton in this Malwa region sold with promises to double the yield bringing opulence to the farmers, infact had a far more disastrous consequence on both the farm economics, triggering a cycle of debts and non payment of dues resulting in the highest gross average of suicides in the region, and on farmers health through severe “toxicity” by water contamination. Bt Cotton which hitherto claimed to be pest resistant instead had to be supported with excessive use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. An unregulated and high use of which has contaminated not only the fields but also the water tables in and around of its use making the water highly toxic. A survey done in the following year on Water Toxicity in Punjab, had found Lead, Arsenic, Aluminium, Mercury, Nickel, Thallium, Barium etc with women and children most vulnerable with serious health hazards linked to reproductive health, birth defects in children, premature deliveries of babies and reduced sperm count in men. There is hardly any village in this region which does not know or has not reported death from Cancer.
A price of “Green Revolution” which even the generation which are yet to be born perhaps would pay for the follies for introducing “technology led farming” without any regard to its consequence. With 325,000 farmer suicides in “Cotton” belts across the country including in Vidarbha, Punjab, Telangana, the experience of Bt Cotton and the myth of GM Crops has been exposed fully, with no reduction in farm crisis and farmer suicides, its quite evident that only the MNC Seed Manufacturers and Global Chemical Companies which have solely profited from this disaster.
The lessons yet are not learnt. It is widely been reported that the NDA government is now planning to introduce GMO in our Food crops, with GM Mustard perhaps to be approved by this incoming Rabi season. It is very important to understand in the background of our experiences with Bt Cotton, a cash crop and havoc it has played and needless to bring to the fore, the impact it might have now on our Food Crops.
This genetically modified, hybrid mustard, Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11 (DMH-11) has been developed by the Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants (CGMCP) of the Delhi University and funded by NDDB (National Dairy Development Board) and contains three alien bacterial genes, namely bar, barstar and barnase, which are to induce male sterility in the plant and later to restore fertility, in addition to a third gene that is a marker gene which also makes the plant herbicide tolerant. Numerous independent studies, a Technical Expert Committee (TEC) of scientists, appointed by the Supreme Court and Standing Parliamentary Committees have expressly recommended ‘not to” introduce ‘Herbicide Tolerant” crops in India and specifically for crops which have its “Centre of diversity” in India.
Indian Mustard (from Rape Seed Mustard Family) has more than 65 different varieties and indeed has the centre of diversity for India. We have the 3rd largest Mustard production behind China and Canada. Accounting for nearly one third of the oil produced in India and grown majorly in Rajasthan accounting for over all production at 48.12%, Madhya Pradesh with 11.31% and Haryana with 11.06%, these states together hold 70% of the over all production in million tons besides other states of West Bengal, Gujarat, Assam and Uttar Pradesh. It is the major source of income especially to the small and marginal farmers of rain fed areas, predominantly grown in resource scare regions, it is a vital livelihood source and income security of millions of farmers in these regions. Even the growth rates in yields (Irrigated) have been impressive from 3.68 quintals pa in 1950-51 to 12.62 pa quintals in 2012-13, with Gujarat recording 16.95 pa quintals in the same corresponding period.
The argument that the tonnages are not increasing and “productivity yields” have not matured sufficiently to reduce the “Import Bill” of cooking oils, the answers to this absurd logic is not questioning the sufficiency of the Indian farmers but bad economics of the politicians and the babu’s who have collectively done nothing to focus on improving farmer remunerations, increase of interventions which aid the farm crop economics, effective linkages to the markets and suitable investments in infrastructure for value addition nearest to the point of production to tide this crisis. The reduction in Import duties at at one point in time was brought down from 300% to absolute 0% and then the babu’s went around castigating the farmers that the productivity is low and imports are needed..!!
Even a cursory look at the annual growth rate of Mustard demolishes this absurd argument. The “Yield” of Indian variety of both “Desi” and “Desi Hyrbid” Mustard on an average is 3.9% as seen in previous corresponding years in comparison to the “Yields” of Bt Cotton which was promised at 7% but is only at an abysmal low of 2.8% within the same comparable year.
Such is the impact of high yielding technologies of GMO Crops which is nothing but an attempt to take over the food sovereignty of the country like India and ensure it is ever dependent on costly technologies governed by global multinational players, all in the name of “progressing with the science”. By pushing this GM Mustard through a Public sector entity, companies and corporations such as Monsanto are testing the acceptability of introduction of GM in our food crops. It is widely known that there is a GM Maize, GM Corn, GM Rice, GM Wheat and other crops in the pipeline which perhaps be pushed should this GM Mustard is considered for approvals.
It is very clear that GM Mustard is used as a “Trojan Horse” as was used by the Greeks to enter the city of Troy, to create a market dominance at expense of our food security, health concerns and issues notwithstanding. This government which has not pull any stops in imbibing “best practices” of the west should also take heed to the fact as to why almost the entire European Union has banned GMO’s in their country and why Russia has announced that it shall “emerge” as the global provider of organic produce in the world, converting almost all of its crop production as “Pesticides and Chemicals Free Farming” in next three decades.
In summary it is the absence of better agro-climatic and agro-ecology practices and various crop support programs for small and marginal farmers and issues of health which need a comprehsnsive attention. If these initiatives are focussed and channelled suitably as both a matter of policy and strong implementation on the ground the country can reap more dividends then exposing and pledging our farmers, their livelihoods and food security to global seed and chemical manufacturers by brining in an unnecessary technology which is clearly not needed for out ecological temperament in form of GMO Crops. On issues of Health, clearly “none” is willing to have “poisoned” GMO crops on their food plates.
(Brief of the lecture given at Mewar University, on 30th July, 2015)
Abhishek Joshi
(Author is a New Delhi based, Public Policy and Political Analyst)
