THE FOLLOWING IS A CLARIFICATORY MAIL SENT BY UNION MINISTER MR JAIRAM RAMESH TO ABLE-AG, AFTER A PRESS RELEASE WAS PUT OUT BY THE INDUSTRY LOBBY GROUP QUOTING THE MINISTER OPPORTUNISTICALLY AND “APPROPRIATE HIS REMARKS TO ITS ADVANTAGE”.
From: Jairam Ramesh
To: seetharama@ableindia.org
Cc: Kavitha Kuruganti ; Pushpa Mittra Bhargava
Sent: Wednesday, 13 June 2012, 9:23
Subject: Btcotton
Dear Mr. Seetharama:
I find that ABLE has tried to appropriate my remarks at the BT-cotton seminar yesterday to its advantage. I am not surprised because I have always believed, and I said so at the seminar if you will remember, that ABLE is as much a partisan lobby group as some of the activists it seeks to counter.
To re-cap, I had made the following broad points:
1. There is a structural transformation that has taken place in India’s cotton economy over the past decade and a half. At the national level, production has trebled, yields have doubled and area has gone up by 25-30%. This is very visible in Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana and to a lesser extent in Andhra Pradesh and parts of Maharashtra. India has become the world’s second largest cotton producer.
2. There are various theories why this structural transformation has taken place—irrigated area expansion, area expansion, good rainfall, new varieties of which Bt cotton is the most prominent. Bt cotton may well have played a part in the structural transformation but the sources of growth must be analysed carefully and dispassionately. It is clearly time for a comprehensive evaluation of the BTcotton experience.
3. 90-95% of farmers are now growing Btcotton ignoring all the dire warnings of the activists. Farmers make their own rational economic calculations and it is remarkable that while activists shout Btcotton is a failure, farmers are taking to it in ever larger numbers. Activists must ask themselves why this is happening. At the same time, we must take cognizance of the sentiment expressed widely that non- Btcotton seed is simply not available in the market and examine why this has happened. Is non-Btcotton seed being “elbowed” out of the market by non-economic factors?. Spurious seeds and seed monopoly are a huge threat to farmers and to the nation. The death of diversity is also a matter of worry.
4. There are serious scientific issues raised by responsible scientists on Btcotton–yield fatigue, immunity to pests, toxicity, etc. These have to be studied carefully. The failure of the public sector BTcotton initiative is very unfortunate and we must have a strong publicly-funded and publicly-managed biotech initiative in agriculture. Bt is certainly not the only element of the biotech portfolio. There are other routes (genetic markers, for example) that need to be tried out as well.
5. While biotech is important, we must give equal prominence to NPM agriculture like in Andhra Pradesh where about 15-20% of the gross cultivated area has come under non-pesticide management (including certified organic). Unfortunately, our planners are fixated only on biotech and do not take NPM and organic seriously.
6. While Btcotton can certainly not be considered a failure as many activists allege, Btbrinjal stands on a completely different footing and nothing that has happened in the past 28 months has led me to believe that I was wrong in declaring a moratorium on Btbrinjal. I am more than convinced that I was right. My views on Btcotton are NOT new (I mentioned that I have been following Btcotton since 2007/08) and were mentioned even in my speaking order of 9/2/10 on Btbrinjal. Food crops need to be looked at differently.
Your press note is sensationalist and quotes selectively. It does not do justice to the arguments I had put forward in a measured manner. But I am not surprised since I dont expect anything better from an industry association.
Regards,
Jairam Ramesh
THE FOLLOWING IS A PRESS RELEASE PUT OUT BY INDUSTRY LOBBY ASSOCIATION, ABLE-AG, ABOUT HALF AN HOUR AFTER A 2-DAY REVIEW CONFERENCE ON TEN YEARS OF Bt COTTON IN INDIA (June 11th and 12th 2012), ORGANISED BY CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENT EDUCATION, CENTRE FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE & COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, CONCLUDED FORMALLY WITH REMARKS MADE BY UNION MINISTER MR JAIRAM RAMESH. THIS PRESS RELEASE DELIBERATELY CHOSE TO QUOTE THE MINISTER OPPORTUNISTICALLY, WITH EVEN MISREPRESENTATION OF WHAT HE SAID.
IT IS TO BE NOTED THAT THE BIOTECH PROPONENTS ALSO SOUGHT TO DISRUPT THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE CONFERENCE BY ENSURING THE PRESENCE OF 16 Bt COTTON FARMERS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY WHOSE SOLE PURPOSE IT WAS TO GO ON REITERATING THAT Bt COTTON HAS BEEN GOOD FOR THEIR LIVES AND LIVELIHOODS, WHILE THE EVIDENCES PRESENTED IN THE CONFERENCE CLEARLY WERE POINTING TO MANY ISSUES THAT ARE OF CONCERN WITH REGARD TO Bt COTTON AND THE PROPONENTS’ CLAIMS.
Date: Tue, Jun 12, 2012 at 7:28 PM
Subject: ABLE-AG Welcomes Union Minister Shri Jairam Ramesh’s endorsement of Bt Cotton in India
ABLE-AG Welcomes Union Minister Shri Jairam Ramesh’s endorsement of Bt Cotton in India
New Delhi, June 12, 2012: Association of Biotech-Led Enterprises-Agriculture Group, an agri biotech industry association, at the outset welcomes the candid assertion by Hon’ble Union Minister for Rural Development Mr Jairam Ramesh that Bt Cotton has played an important role in bringing about a “decisive structural transformation in the cotton economy of India.”
Taking a swipe at the activists at the concluding session of a two-day conference on Ten years of Bt Cotton in India at New Delhi on Tuesday, Shri Ramesh said, “what’s remarkable the number of farmers adopting Bt cotton is directly proportional to the number of papers which surprisingly highlight the stress of farmers.” “Farmers have some calculus that he is very good at using which I and you can’t undersdtand,” he added. He emphasized that there was complete disconnect between farmers thinking and those of the urban elite and this requires attention.
Shri Ramesh said after the introduction of Bt, the yield in cotton has gone up, production has dramatically increased and there has been a concomitant rise in the area under cotton cultivation. The Minister added, Bt cotton has surely played a role and he especially mentioned the success stories of Gujarat and Maharashtra.
We also wish to put the following in the public domain:
• While effort was made to give this conference a garb of an all-party dialogue, critical players who have been at the forefront in the agri biotech ecosystems, were conspicuous by their absence. For any serious debate developers of the technology should have been invited. Further the staying away of most government scientists also suggests it is one sided debate. One suspects, whether the conference was to actually review the success / failure of Bt Cotton or add to the confusion created by some parties
• Myths, which they have vigorously perpetuated over the years, were yet again reiterated making a mockery of the claimed seriousness of the conference. Scientists the world over muse at Indian claims that cattle eating Bt Cotton refuge die!
• The undignified way in which two very credible agencies, one being a co-organisers of the seminar – CSD, and Bharat Krishak Samaj – were maligned over their recent release of a study Socio Economic Impact Assessment of Bt Cotton in India is rejected. This is nothing but the exasperation of the anti-Bt lobby who are shockingly unyielding in ensuring success of technologies filter down to the farmers
• It is disappointing to note that one of the Supreme Court appointed committee members was taking sides during this debate without adequate opportunities for the technology developers and farmers to put forth their point of views.
Released by ABLE-AG
Dr N Seetharma
+91-8527277688