1.Mahyco may lose license to sell Bt seeds in Maharashtra
2.Vidarbha Cotton Farmers Welcome Maharashtra Govt. decision to Ban Mahyco-Monsanto Biotech (MMB) Bt Cotton Seed
NOTE: The company referred to as Mahyco in item 1 is actually Mahyco Monsanto Biotech (MMB), a 50:50 Monsanto joint venture for marketing Monsanto's Bt cotton in India.
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1.Mahyco may lose license to sell Bt seeds in Maharashtra
Rahul Wadke
The Hindu, July 12 2012
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/agri-biz/article3631912.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home
Mumbai: Agriculture seed major Mahyco, which has been accused of black marketing its seeds and distributing it without informing the State Government, could well stand to lose its license to sell seeds in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra’s Minister for Agriculture, Mr Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, told Business Line that the State Government was left with no other option but to cancel the company’s licence, given the nature of the complaint. He charged that the company was involved in black marketing of Bt (Bacillus Theringuesis) cotton seeds and added that an FIR was lodged against certain company officials.
A few arrests have already been made, he said. The matter was discussed in the Assembly.
The minister further noted that the company allegedly was indulging in this "illegal business" for sometime and that the State Government "could not tolerate it any further". A final decision regarding the cancellation of license is to be taken on July 18, when the company would be given a hearing at the Agriculture Commissioner office, he added.
The matter came to light in May, when cotton farmers in Beed district were forced to pay significantly higher prices for Bt cotton seeds. MLA Mr Uttamrao Dhikale of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena brought this matter to the attention of the House.
Mr Dhikale, moving a calling attention notice, pointed out that Beed is a major cotton producing district. For the Kharif season, over 47,700 packets (of 450 gms each) of Mahyco 7341 Kanak variety (Bt cotton) was distributed amongst 11 distributors in the district.
However, these distributors did not supply the seeds to the sub-distributors, as is the norm. Instead, they raised bogus bills on the farmers’ name and sold the seeds at a higher price to others, Mr Dhikale added. The MLA has urged the government to initiate a CID probe into the matter.
Replying to the notice, in a written statement, the Agriculture Minister, Mr Patil, said that 10 distributors had resold the seeds directly to the farmers, without informing the Agriculture Department officials. He told the Assembly that it was now clear that Mahyco had resold the seeds with an intention to commit crime. Accordingly, a complaint has been filed at the city police station at Beed.
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2.Vidarbha Cotton Farmers Welcome Maharashtra Govt. decision to Ban Mahyco-Monsanto Biotech (MMB) Bt Cotton Seed
12 July 2012
http://pr-usa.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1221167&Itemid=32
Nagpur – Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Radhakrishnna Vikhe Patil has informed Maharashtra legislative assembly yesterday which reported in the media today(copy attached) that the basis of number complaints from cotton farmers and reports of agriculture officers that Mahyco Monsanto Biotech (MMB) company has been cheating the innocent cotton farmers by supplying sub-standard seeds ,Involved in black-marketing of seed by creating official short supply and ignoring earlier notices of all unfair trade practices ,Govt. has ban sale of Bt.cotton supplied by Mahyco Monsanto Biotech (MMB) as company failed to supply good quality seed even after taking huge amount of advances from debt trapped dying cotton farmers Maharashtra ,minister informed house.
“Vidarbha cotton farmers have welcomed the decision as Mahyco Monsanto Biotech (MMB) – a 50:50 joint venture between Mahyco and Monsanto Holdings Pvt. Ltd. has sub-licensed the Bollgard II and Bollgard technologies to 28 Indian seed companies mainly responsible mass farmers suicides which triggered after June 2005 year of permission of commercial trials killer seed in Maharashtra informed today vidarbha cotton farmers’ advocacy group Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti (VJAS) convener Kishore Tiwari who is demanding the complete ban of genetically modified Bt.cotton seed in vidarbha and documenting cotton farmers suicides since 2002 .
US base multinational company who has almost developed monopoly of it’s brand Monsanto Bollgard® Bt cotton has been taking innocent cotton farmers on ride and such stern action was needed much earlier now we demand all other 28 companies sub-lised by MMB should be ban and replaced by traditional Indian cotton seed as the cost of seeds of straight varieties is much lower than Bt varieties, besides which these varieties become ready for plucking in just 150-160 days whereas BT varieties take around 180-200 days, which reduces the need for fertilizers, pesticides and other nutrients substantially and unlike Bt cotton desi varieties there is no need to provide in-built protection for cotton against destructive American Bollworm Heliothis which is not the case with desi seed, Tiwari added.
Now India is largest cotton cultivator of Bt.cotton seed in 126 lakhs hector jumped from 4 lakhs hector when first it was approved for commercialization in India in 2002, followed by Bollgard® II double-gene technology in mid-2006, by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), the Indian regulatory body for biotech crops which has was objected by leading environmental activist and now questioned by Indian parliament . the much more disputed genetic technology Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Bollgard® II contains a superior double-gene technology – Cry1Ac and Cry 2Ab which provides protection against bollworms but is matter of concern due to it’s toxicity damaging environment and public health care hence we demand complete ban on GM technology in India, Tiwari urged.