PRESS RELEASE
"ALLOWING GM CROPS INTO ANDHRA PRADESH IS ILLEGAL – BAN THEM"
Hyderabad, April 8, 2008: Addressing an anti-GM protest meet here today, farmer leaders of all major farmers' organizations in the state of Andhra Pradesh demanded that the AP government take a clear anti-GM stand and ban GM crop trials in the state as has been done in other states like Kerala and Orissa. The protest has been organized by the Coalition for a GM-Free AP, a network of civil society organizations and farmers' groups.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Sarampalli Mallareddy, Vice President, All India Kisan Sabha (affiliated to CPI-M) said, "When the first trials of Bt Cotton began in the state and the country, the Legislative Assembly of Andhra Pradesh passed a resolution against any GM crops and their trials in the state. Any cultivation or trials in the state of such crops is therefore illegal". He demanded that the AP government ban such trials in the state and not allow any GM food crops.
Mr Raghava Reddy, President of Bhartiya Kisan Sangh pointed out that the government polices were allowing MNCs like Monsanto total control over our agriculture. He pointed out that when chemical pesticides were brought in, we were told that no harm will come out of them when the reality today points out to a different picture. The same can be anticipated from GM crops and the government should have a long term vision about the impacts of such a technology, he said.
"We are not against technology and we welcome any technology that helps in improving the environment, economy and health of our citizens – however, GE crops do not deliver these. They increase the cost of production, cause deterioration in health and MNCs are making profit out of this. We want sustainable agriculture practices to be promoted", said Mr Samineni Ramarao, President, AP Rythu Sangam.
Sri Ramakrishna, ex-MLA and President, Rythu Sangam (affiliated to CPI) said that the all-party forum created of farmers' unions in the state in the case of Minimum Support Price for paddy will also take up this anti-GM cause.
"Self reliance in seeds is very important and if all farmers start creating their own seeds, no MNC can make profits out of farmers and I urge all farmers to acquire those simple breeding skills – after all, companies are exploiting seed-producing farmers on the one hand and seed-consuming farmers on the other.. We need to put an end to this", said Mr Gollamarri Shoury David, National Executive Committee Members of Bharatiya Janata Kisan Morcha, affiliated to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Jamalaiah, President of the Andhra Pradesh Shepherds and Goatherds Union promised that their struggle would be intensified to get the government answerable to the deaths of livestock after grazing on Bt Cotton fields. He demanded a complete halt to all research on GM crops until investigations on animal deaths are comprehensively done and made public.
"Genetic Modification is not true science, as it claims", pointed out Mr Ramesh, General Secretary of Jana Vignyana Vedika, a people's science movement, which expressed its solidarity to the anti-GM cause..
Mr B Venkateswarlu and Mr Chittoor Rambabu also participated in the protest meet on behalf of Telugu Rythu, affiliated to the Telugu Desam Party [TDP]. Mr Jeevan Kumar of Human Rights Forum also addressed the gathering.
For more information, contact:
- Kavitha Kuruganti of Centre for Sustainable Agriculture at (0) 9393001550 or kavitha.kuruganti@
gmail.com - G V Ramanjaneyulu of Centre for Sustainable Agriculture at (0) 9391359702 or gvramanjaneyulu@
gmail.com
--
Kavitha Kuruganti
Centre for Sustainable Agriculture
12-13-445, Street # 1, Tarnaka
Secunderabad 500 017
www.csa-india.
Phone: +91-9393001550
Best Jokes, Best Friends, Best Food. Get all this and more on Best of Yahoo! Groups.
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe
__,_._,___
