Friday, February 23, 2007

Falling Cotton Production

GM Cotton - Three Years - Three Failures - Falling Trend
Vidarbha rural areas have been devastated by falling income levels and rising debt levels.
GM Cotton crop fails in Vidarbha - 2004 - 2005 - 2006 - Third year in Row :
As per Govt. Of Maharashtra (GOM) official figure total procurement of cotton in Maharashtra is around 10 million quintal as against tall claim of 35 million quintal.
Why is cotton procurement falling three years in a row in rural Vidarbha ?
Are GM scientists and global research laboratories coming forward to help the Vidarbha Cotton farmers with more Research and Development investments into raising production levels of Bt Cotton ?
If they are, Vidarbha farmers have not heard from them.
Cotton Procurement Breakdown :
1. Maharshtra state govt: Cotton Federation : 3.5. Million quintals at rate of Rs. 1,780/- Per Quintal. on an average.
2. Central government Agency CCI ( Cotton Corporation. Of India) : 1.5 million Quintal.
3. Private Traders : 5 million Quintal ( private traders purchased at less than state guaranteed price againsts farmer loans and debt at the throwaway prices).

Annual Cotton Procurement Figures in Maharashtra :
1. 2004-2005 - 18 million quintal
2. 2005-2006 - 14 million quintal
3. 2006-2007 - 10 million quintal

In the face of falling production levels, the very high cost repeat inputs, falling market prices, and high risk BT cotton farming, has made whole Vidarbha rural economy susceptible to predatory interventions by Indian cotton industry which has been registering rising profits and export figures to US and European markets against Chinese competition and riding the crest of booming exports under WTO regime.
See Indian Cotton Export Figures to US
It is estimated that 1.7 million cotton farmers have been exposed to market risk by Bt Cotton approvals by Indian government. There exist no safety mechanisms and official government methods for intervention mechanisms in arresting GM cotton crop failures and compensating farmers and Vidarbha rural economy.
The Relief commissioner Shri Sudhir Kumar Goyal, pressed into media firefighting, by Congress politicians, is shedding crocodile tears, and has been reported to have rhetorically claimed, that "no government on earth can subsidize 60% of its farmers".

But who is subsidizing whom, is the question not being asked.
Is rural India subsidizing urban India, or is urban Indian economy, subsidizing rural Indian economy ?

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