Indian Farmers are Committing Suicide because of Monsanto's costly GMO Crops
Monsanto’s GMO crops were supposed to feed the world hunger and starvation but instead have eneded up feeding Monsanto's CEO and shareholders. Thanks to GMO crops, the diverse sustainable organic agriculture has been replaced with globalization, GMOs and monopoly.
According to a report by Daily Mail, every 30 minutes an Indian farmer commits suicide as a result of Monsanto’s GMO crops. In the last decade, more than 250,000 Indian farmers have killed themselves because of Monsanto’s costly seeds and pesticides. Globalization and monopoly have forced farmers to buy GMO seeds. Keep in mind that since GMO crops have become pest resistant, the farmers have no choice but to purchase Monsanto’s popular herbecide.
In 2008, the Daily Mail called the continuous suicide of Indian farmers a “genocide” in the human history. What’s really disturbing is that often farmers commit suicide by drinking the insecticide shipped to them by Monsanto. Here is the full article
After the use of Monsanto’s BT cotton in 2002, the rate of suicide among Indian farmers has increased drastically. The stroy started when 90% of Indian cotton farmers were forced to swtich to Monsanto’s Bt crop hoping that Bt crops were pest resistant (so farmers did not have to buy Monsanto's costly herbecide). However after a while, Bt cotton’s pests resistant property started to fade away so farmers had to re-buy and re-use Monsanto's costly herbecide.
The high cost of GMO seeds, extensive use of herbecides and great reduction in crop value have often times left farmers bankrupt and as a result, many farmers are falling into the endless cycle of debt, depression, hopelessness and despair so they have no choice but to end their lives. The figures provided by NY University School of Law show that just in 2009 alone, 17,638 of farmers committed suicide. Here is the Figures by NY University School of Law
As a result of Monsanto’s costly GMO seeds, many families of farmers have lost their livelihood and lands and are left on their own to struggle with starvation and misery. 1.1 billion (which is 60% of Indian population) of Indians are directly or indirectly dependent on the agriculture.
Monsanto is responsible for dominating the market by forcing farmers to buy their seeds and herbecide. Monsanto's GMO eeds die every year, so farmers are forced to buy new seeds.
Monsanto’s domination is threatening sustainable organic agriculture and the livelihood of Indian farmers and health of all of us as consumers. Thanks to biotech companies, what was once a sustainable diverse way of agriculture is now replaced with unsustainable globalized agribusiness in the hands of few people consumed by greed and power. We as consumers cannot even choose to boycott GMOs since biotech companies like DuPont and Monsanto give millions of dollars to lobbyists to bribe politicians in order to aggressively pursue their anti-GMO labeling policies. Click here to Watch Vandana Shiva on Indian Farmer Suicides, Monsanto, Walmart and More.
