Farmers In Maharashtra To Enact 'Civil Disobedience'

Farmers from Maharashtra's Shetkari Sanghatana are planning to disobey the government's prohibition on genetically modified (GM) crops once more. Thousands of farmers have been seeding and cultivating herbicide-tolerant Bt (HTBt) cotton and Bt brinjal in open fields since 2019. The pro-GM crop campaign in Maharashtra will be relaunched on Thursday.

They had written to the Prime Minister on January 17th, requesting that the GM crop prohibition be lifted by February 16th. Facing a lack of communication from the center, the party believes that it leaves them with no choice but to engage in civil disobedience. This was observed by, Anil Ghanwat, President of the Swatantra Bharat Party, Shetkari Sanghatana's political branch. He further stated that unlawful Bt brinjal cultivation will begin on Thursday in the Ahmednagar area.

Only GM Cotton has been certified for commercial cultivation in India by the Indian government so far. "There are no cases documented on the impact on human health, environment, or extinction of any butterflies in India," the Ministry of Environment informed the Rajya Sabha in December.

Leaders of the Shetkari Sanghatana claim that HT cotton, Bt brinjal, and HT soya seeds are all accessible on the illegal market, along with HT cotton. HT cotton accounts for around a quarter of Maharashtra's cotton production, and there is a multibillion-dollar market for GM seeds. False GM seeds are also available on the market, according to Shetkari Sanghatana officials, and farmers are being deceived by fraudulent firms.

The Ministry of Environment has received complaints of unlawful growth of GM Cotton and brinjal in Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Punjab since the pro-GM crop campaign began in 2019. The Centre has requested all states to establish and enhance State Biotechnology Coordination Committees and District Level Committees to monitor unlawful GM crop growing and take appropriate action under the 1986 Environment (Protection) Act.

Environmentalists, on the other hand, claim that states have failed to prosecute people who have broken the law and grown GM crops. The ruling Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress administration in Maharashtra have remained silent about the Shetkari Sanghatana's action.