A couple of interesting pieces about Monsanto have popped up in the last few weeks, so I thought I’d share them with you together.
Monsanto Official Beaten in India
A few weeks ago, a Monsanto official was beaten up in India because of frustration there about the company’s genetically modified cotton seeds. Our sister site, Planetsave, has the whole story, but the gist is that Bt corn has ruined the lives of many cotton farmers in India. Farmers have been seeking reparations for years, and a couple of weeks ago, a group of farmers took a Monsanto agent to the fields to show him the damage that the GMO cotton was doing to their land. When he refused to admit that the company had made a mistake, they beat him.
I do not advocate violence, even in a situation where it might feel like the only recourse, but at the same time I feel for these farmers who are in such bad shape because of this corporate giant’s policies. What do you think about this one?
Anonymous Takes Down Monsanto Website
Internet hacking group Anonymous is fed up with Monsanto’s growing monopoly on our food supply, too, and they recently released a couple of videos before hacking the company’s website, crashing it, and stealing contact information for 2500 employees.
The first video explains their frustration with the ag giant:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1A-DYK4M4Q&feature=player_embedded
The second video actually shows them taking down the site:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sQqMSFb9eo&feature=player_embedded
Do you guys think these incidents will have any impact on how Monsanto conducts its business?
Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by fsgm
The violence Indian farmers showed the lying Monsanto agent is a fraction of the violence Monsanto has unleashed upon the human race, animals, the environment and the planet with the toxic GMO creations.
No. It’s like everything else. The guys with the money rule. They’ll just turn the protesters into terrorists through propaganda campaigns. They’ve done this with environmentalists, animal advocates, and groups that promote prevention and health over profits for pharmaceutical companies. Monsanto will do whatever it wants.
Here are some facts about Indian Suicides:
The reality is that that the tragic phenomena of farmer suicides in India began long before the introduction of Bollgard in 2002. Farmer suicide has numerous causes with most experts agreeing that indebtedness is one of the main factors. Farmers unable to repay loans and facing spiraling interest often see suicide as the only solution.
In fact, a 2004 survey of cotton farmers in India by the IMRB International showed a 118 percent increase in profit for farmers planting Bollgard over traditional cotton. The same survey showed a 64 percent increase in yield and a 25 percent reduction in pesticide costs.
Farmers are Monsanto’s customers, and we are successful only if our customers are successful. Farmers in India have found success with Bollgard. We have many repeat customers and many new ones there every year.
Don’t take our word for it. See what farmers in India have to say about Bollgard and their successes.
More information on these topics:
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) discussion paper: Bt Cotton and Farmer Suicides in India — Reviewing the Evidence (Oct. 2008)
The Guardian (UK): Indian farmer suicides not GM related, says study (Nov. 5, 2008)
Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research Study: Suicide of Farmers in Maharashtra
Indian Institute of Management – The Adoption and Economics of Bt Cotton in India: Preliminary Results from a Study
“Let all of the poisons that lurk in the mud, hatch out.”