SCIE 1P50 Lecture Notes - Bt Cotton, Vandana Shiva, Mealybug
20 Nov 2012
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They tell people their income will increase, no bugs, etc . They say cure is acetone and detergent powder. 1/2 the world"s population are farmers; never faced as deep a crisis as now. 1/4 million committed suicide last year (1 every 30 minutes) Jai bt seeds (bt= type of genetic modification) For milleniums, this place planted their own cotton. In 1970s hybrid seeds introduced but cost a lot. Farmer dude decided to plant a genetically modified bt plant. 80% of the farmers can"t get bank loans therefore have to go to money lenders who charge extra interest at higher rates illegally. Only genetically modified bt cotton seeds sold in shops and like hybrids, they are non-renewable. Start with own hybrid seeds and insert monsanto"s bt technology. Bt cotton produce high productivity versus non-bt cotton. Over 90% indians pay a royalty to monsanto per year. Spend about 100000 on acre and bt not give yield accordingly.
