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We'll throw out Monsanto, threatens Karnataka farmers body

The Karnataka State Farmers' Association warned on Thursday in Bangalore that it would resort to "direct democratic action" against the US multinational company Monsanto if it did not disclose the places where experiments on terminator genes technology were being conducted in the country.

Association president M D Nanjundswamy said his organisation would resort to direct "non-violent" action in fields first if the company did not disclose the places.

He also set a deadline of one week to the Karnataka government to name the places in Bellary, Raichur and Dharwad districts where experiments were being conducted in spite of opposition from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and the University of Agricultural Sciences.

Prof Nanjundaswamy, whose organisation had attacked multinational Cargill Seeds Company and food chain outlet Kentucky Fried Chicken in Bangalore, said: "We will throw Monsanto out. Let the government foist 100 murder cases against us". First we would concentrate on Karnataka and then move to Maharashtra, he added.

He alleged that the genetically modified seeds were polluting the local species and the government should hold discussions with the farmers on the issue.

He blamed defective seeds for cotton crop failure in Andhra Pradesh and subsequent suicides by farmers.

Referring to the reported lack of information with the government on the experiments, he demanded that Agriculture Minister C Byre Gowda resign immediately.

UNI

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