MoU with Monsanto draws criticism

hyderabad: the signing of the memorandum of understanding (mou) between chief minister n chandrababu naidu and seed giant monsanto, on naidu’s recent trip to the united states, has come for sharp criticism from research foundation for science, technology and ecology member dr vandana shiva. shiva talking to the times of india on sunday said it was ridiculous to assume that the mou for setting up a research centre in hyderabad by monsanto would be purely for scientific purpose.monsanto, a multi-national company (mnc) in the business of selling seeds for profit, would only be interested in the commercial success of its controversial seeds. she alleged that the company would convert the genetic engineering experiments into the intellectual property right of the company and have a unfair monopoly. she accused monsanto of devising a “mechanism of theft� of the knowledge and bio-diversity in india. vehemently opposing the use of bt cotton, the agriculture expert said it would have an adverse impact on the bio-diversity of the region. she explained how farmers were made to use more toxic doses of bt after initial years as the bollworm pest developed resistance to the bt toxin. shiva claimed that the genetically modified technology did not increase yield but only prevented bollworm attack in the first year. demanding an independent and transparent assessment of the impact of bt cotton, the agriculture expert wanted the government to guarantee bio-safety. all life forms, including agriculture should be exempted from the trips and wto agreements. she suggested the concept of organic farming with “zero seed and zero pest cost�. this could be the best alternative method of farming, she said.