The State government permitting field trials of Bt cotton and Bt maize varieties has attracted opposition from farmers’ organisations with the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (Collective Leadership) and Hasiru Sene urging the government to withdraw the permission.
In a press release, the KRRS and Hasiru Sene, which comprises the former Advocate General Ravivarma Kumar and Chukki Nanjundaswamy, daughter of the farmers’ leader late M.D. Nanjundaswamy, as members of its presidential board, alleged that a no objection certificate (NOC) had been granted to Rallies India Ltd. to take up field trials by the State Biotechnology Coordination Committee meeting held on February 23. The company has been given the NOC to take up trials in the University of Agricultural Sciences-Dharwad and the University of Agricultural Sciences-Raichur, the KRRS said.
It pointed out that the private firm would be conducting field trials of MLS 4301 and MLS 2531 transgenic cotton and maize varieties from 2024 to 2026. These two varieties have herbicide and pesticide resistance and it has been claimed that they will increase the yields by 30% to 70%, the KRRS and Hasiru Sene said.
“But it has not been possible for the scientific community at the international level to come to a consensus on transgenic biotechnology. In the last 25 years, international scientists have been expressing concern that the use of genetically modified/transgenic technology in agriculture will have an irreversible negative impact on the health of human beings, animals, birds and environment,” the KRRS and Hasiru Sene said and prevailed upon the State government to prevent such field trials.
The organisations alleged in the release, “It is observed that the native cotton varieties had vanished from the scene in the traditional cotton-growing areas of Karnataka ever since Bt cotton that was introduced about 22 years ago monopolised cotton sector. Through this, cotton farmers had lost their freedom related to sowing seeds as they have to go before the private seed companies every year to get sowing seeds.”
The farmers’ organisations also claimed that the input costs, including the use of pesticides, had increased significantly after Bt cotton dominated cotton cultivation in the country.
