Suicide Seeds
In America, we often hear of the terrible predicament of our small farmers: forced to work two jobs, sell their land, or enter into unfair contracts just to stay farming. And yet, the current situation for Indian farmers is even worse. Across the country, Indian cotton farmers, drowning in debt, are committing suicide. One government-backed report estimates that in 2004, in just four states, 4,100 farmers killed themselves. And the crisis is worsening.
One of the driving forces of this suicide epidemic, according to many, is the investment in and subsequent failure of genetically modified crops. Chandrakant Gurenule, for example, lit himself on fire after he invested
in Monsanto’s expensive genetically modified cottonseeds, only to have the crop fail two years in a row. Because many Indian farmers are so poor, they quickly become mired in debt if they purchase GM seeds on loan and the crops underperform. "Monsanto should be held liable ... it's caused immense stress in the farming community," noted Dr. Suman Sahai of the Gene Campaign. Additionally, Indian investigators have accused Monsanto of overcharging for their seeds.
Other factors, including falling cotton prices, high interest rates, and India’s removal of subsidies to comply with the World Trade Organization, are linked to increasing suicide rates. Meanwhile, Monsanto continues to rake in the money.
Print this page
Save & Share It
