Monsanto to introduce Bt corn

CH Prashanth Reddy / Chennai/ Hyderabad November 06, 2009, 0:07 IST

Unfazed by the ongoing opposition to the commercialisation of Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) brinjal, Monsanto India Limited (MIL), a subsidiary of US-based global biotech food major Monsanto Company, is planning to introduce genetically modified corn in the country by 2012-13.

The proposed corn seed would be embedded with not only Bt but also with the company's 'Roundup ready' technology that would be helpful in management of weeds and insects, MIL’s director- corporate affairs, Gyanendra Shukla, told Business Standard.

Monsanto envisages a good potential for the Bt corn seed business as the corn market in India is continuously growing due to changing food habits, driving the demand for poultry and livestock products. The starch industry, which primarily uses corn as its input, is also rapidly growing.

Today, according to MIL, over 30 user industries in the country produce more than 1,000 products from corn for textiles, paper, medicinal and other allied industries. By 2011-12, the domestic demand for corn is estimated to be over 22 million tonnes. As against this, the country’s corn production in 2008 stood at 19.31 million tonnes.

At present, MIL sells hybrid corn seeds in the country under the brand name Deklab. It has 14 high-yielding hybrids under this brand. The company's total seed sales in 2008-09 increased 5.6 per cent to Rs 231.8 crore from Rs 219.5 crore in 2007-08.

According to Shukla, India with 130 million hectares of land under cultivation is a “very important” market for the $11.3 billion Monsanto Company. In fact, MIL is the only public-listed company of Monsanto outside USA.

The rapid spread of area under cotton cultivation in the country seemed to have made Monsanto confident on the prospects of its Bt corn in India. In 2008, India planted Bt cotton on 7.6 million hectares equivalent to 82 per cent of the total cotton area in the country.

This year, Shukla said, the area under Bt cotton went up to about 9 million hectares comprising 90 per cent of the total cotton area. Now Monsanto was conducting bio-safety trials on next generation Bt cotton technology, which it was hopeful of introducing by 2012.

With regard to other products in the pipeline, he said Monsanto was currently working on a drought-tolerant corn variety, which would be launched first in the US in 2012. Subsequently, the company would come up with similar varieties of soyabean and cotton

Thanks to drought, farmers taking to floriculture

News Desk - November 2, 2009

Chainpur (Bihar), Nov 2: Changeover from traditional crop farming to floriculture by several farmers of Chainpur village in Bihar is taking place, due to drought-like conditions in the region.

An increasing number of farmers in Chainpur village of Masaurhi subdivision near Patna are substituting traditional farming with flower cultivation.

Nawal Kumar, a floriculturist who used to grow wheat and rice earlier feels that growing flowers is more beneficial.

“The production of wheat and rice was not good this year. So we have switched over to flower cultivation. It is beneficial as it is providing profits. The flower cultivation requires less water for irrigation. Hence it is very beneficial,” he said.

He also said that a farmer earns around Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 from the cultivation of less than half acre of land.

Traditional harvest of the farmers was damaged due to delayed monsoon and deficient rainwater. Floriculture is the new best alternative for farmers fearing low yield and a heavy loss.

- AGENCIES

हमारा बीज बिहार नेटवर्क

दिनांक ५ एवं ६ अक्टूबर २००९ को स्थानीय ए एन सिन्हा इंस्टिट्यूट  में हमारा बीज पर दो दिवसीय कार्यशाला का आयोजन तारा फाउंडेशन के तत्वाधान में स्विश एड इंडिया के सहयोग से आयोजित हुआ. कार्यशाला की मुख्य वक्ता कविता कुरुगंती (कृषि विरासत मिशन पंजाब) ने कार्यशाला का उद्घाटन करते हुए कहा की अनुवांशिक रूप से संशोधित खाद्य पदार्थों से भारत को मुक्त करने का यह एक अभियान है. अनुवांशिक रूप से संशोधित खाद्य पदार्थ बनाने के लिए असंबंधित जीव जैसे जीवाणु, विषाणु तथा अन्य जानवरों के जींस यानि अनुवांशिक गुणों को हमारे खाद्य पौधों जैसे बैंगन, चावल, टमाटर, भिन्डी, गोभी, आलू आदि की कोशिका में कृत्रिम रूप से प्रत्यारोपित  कर दिया जाता है. अनुवांशिक अभियांत्रिकी का विज्ञान एवं प्रौद्योगिकी अधूरी व अपरिवर्तनीय है और यह प्रमाणित है की ये हमारे महत्वपूर्ण अंगों जैसे गुर्दे, लीवर  और दिमाग, जीवन की रोग प्रतिरोधक क्षमता और प्रजनन क्षमता  पर हीं नहीं बल्कि पर्यावरण पर भी बुरा असर डालते हैं. शोध बतातें हैं की ये खाद्य पदार्थ आने वाली पीढी पर भी बुरा असर डाळ  सकते हैं.

कार्यशाला को संबोधित करते हुए तारा फाउंडेशन के सचिव पंकज भूषण ने कहा की यह प्रक्रिया भारत की धरती पर अब अनजान नहीं रही क्योंकि यह हमारे देश में जड़ जमा चुकी है. अब तक बी टी कपास को उगाने  व प्रचारित करने की खबर इतनी फ़ैल चुकी है की किसान इस नई फसल को अपनाने के लिए मजबूर हो गए हैं. भारत में पहली जैव संशोधित फसल मुनाफाखोर संस्थाओं द्वारा बी टी बैंगन के रूप में प्रचारित की गई है. बी टी बैंगन बनाने के लिए बैंगन के जीनोम में बैक्टेरिया के जीन प्रत्यारोपित कर पौधे के अन्दर हीं ऐसा ज़हर पैदा किया जाता है जो फसल नष्ट  करने वाले कीडो को मार देता है. ऐसे विषैले बीजों के निर्माता ये दावा करते हैं की किसान इन बीजों के उपयोग से रासायनिक कीटनाशक का इस्तेमाल कम कर सकेंगे. ध्यान दीजिये बी टी बैंगन हीं  अकेला संशोधित फसल नहीं है. भारत में चावल, आलू, टमाटर, पत्तागोभी, गोभी, भिन्डी आदि को मिला कर कुल ५६ प्रकार के पौधों को अनुवांशिक रूप से संशोधित किया जा रहा है.
कार्यशाला में हम लोग ट्रस्ट, महिला विकास सेवा संस्थान नालंदा, निखिल रुरल देवेलोप्मेंट सोसाइटी पटना, हनुमान प्रसाद ग्रामीण विकास सेवा संस्थान, सर्व सहयोग संघ बरबीघा, दिशा विकास केंद्र, अभिनन्दन, ऐड इंडिया बिहार, चाइल्ड केयर पटना, आकांक्षा   सेवा सदन, ग्लोबल देवेलोप्मेंट आरगेनाइजेशन के गणमान्य पदाधिकारी  शामिल हुए.
कविता जी ने उपस्थित व्यक्तियों को जी एम् के दुष्प्रभाव से अवगत कराया एवं इस से सम्बंधित कई फिल्मो को  दिखाया.         

यदि जैव संशोधित फसल को इस देश में अनुमति मिल गई तो ये आपके और मेरे - हमारे लिए विकल्पों का अंत होगा.

अगर आप इस पर भरोसा करते हैं तो हमारा साथ दीजिये;

* दावा कीजिये की भर्त्ये किसी प्रयोशाला के चूहें नहीं हैं; खाद्य पदार्थों के चुनाव व सुरक्चित भोजन के अधिकार को हासिल कीजिये.

* गर्व से कहिए- मैं किसी प्रयोगशाला का चूहा नहीं हूँ.

* भारत के प्रधानमंत्री को एक ऑनलाइन पेटिशन इस पर भेजें: www iamnolabrat .com

Govt reach out to farmers

News Desk - September 30, 2009

PATNA — The Bihar government has decided to send 38 ‘raths’ to help farmers tackle the situation in 26 drought-hit districts in the state, officials said here today.

The ‘Kisan Jagrukata Raths’ will tour the districts till October 31 to collect applications for grants, tractors, harvesters and power tillers from farmers, the officials said.

These ‘raths’ would also assess the requirements of the farmers in the districts for early sowing of rabi crops, as part of a comprehensive strategy drawn by the State Agriculture Department with thrust on rabi yield.

- AGENCIES (jaibihar.com)

Minister Advocates Organic Farming

Patna: September 24, 2009

State Agriculture Minister Renu Kushwaha, at an awareness program organized by the Insecticides (India) Ltd. at Hotel Maurya in Patna on Thursday said that Bihar could not expect to develop by ignoring the farming sector of the state and overlooking the interests of the farmers.

Kushwaha said that the state government was preparing an agricultural road map that would offer ways and means to increase productivity from the early stage of sowing seeds to the distribution of farm produce using state of the art warehousing and transportation facilities.

The minister thanked Insecticides Ltd and other private companies for offering products like insecticides, and irrigation and farming tools, that, she said, helped farmers raise their agricultural productivity at the fraction of a cost while giving them a chance to maximize their profits.

The Agriculture minister also stressed the need for expansion in organic farming saying over use of chemical and fertilizers eventually kill the fertility of the land, as is the case in Punjab and Haryana.

Patnadaily.com