Maharashtra farmers to sow GM brinjal, cotton seeds to defy ban

Shetkari Sanghatana, a farmers' body in Maharashtra, Sunday said it will sow seeds of genetically modified (GM) brinjal and cotton in a village in Akola district on Monday as a mark of protest against the government's ban on GM crops.

Around 5,000 farmers under the aegis of the organisation are expected to gather in Akoli Jahangir village in Akot taluka to plant the transgenic varieties as to protest against the government's ban, its state president Anil Ghanwat said.

"It will be a peaceful protest. We will only plant the varieties in the fields. But there is a possibility that the police may arrest us because the cultivation of these varieties crops is banned," he said.

The Shetkari Sanghatana is opposed to the ban on GM crops as they are beneficial to farmers, its spokesperson Lalit Bahale said.

"Genetically modified seeds are being used all over the world and we have seen that the costs are less, pest attacks are fewer and the yields are higher. They are definitely much better for the farmer," he added.

Last month, the Haryana government had uprooted GM brinjal plants from a farm in Fatehabad district.