Anti-GMO
activists rip open bags containing "MON 810", a variety of
genetically modified maize (corn) developed by Monsanto Company after
entering
a Monsanto storehouse on January 23, 2012 in Trebes near
Carcassonne, southern
France. (AFP Photo / Eric Cabanis)
The
Nepalese government has teamed up with notorious agricultural giant Monsanto to
force farmers use its GMO seeds. The strain, banned in several EU countries,
will be used to substitute imports and boost the starving nation’s maize
production.
Corn is one
of Nepal’s biggest crops but the country produces only about half of what it
needs for its feed industry, and imports some 130,000 tons annually to cover
the deficit. Still, over 40 per cent of the Nepalese population is
malnourished.
The United
States Agency for International Development (USAID) is lending the starving
country a helping hand. More specifically the hand of Monsanto, an agricultural
goliath which reaps as much controversy as it does seed.
USAID
announced last September that it wants to create a partnership with Monsanto
and the Nepalese government to boost maize production.
“We have
been trying to help the Nepalese farmer to increase his total production of the
food crops,” making him “a little bit more competitive by bringing his costs
down,” said USAID Economic Growth Advisor Rave Aulakh.
Soon after
the initiative was introduced, public anger spilled onto both social media and
the streets. Hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the US embassy in
Katmandu to speak out against Monsanto.
“You start
buying seeds from them,” explained protester Sabin Ninglekhu. “Year one: it can
produce a bit of yield. Year two: yield starts going down. And then it means
you have to increase inputs. You have to annually buy seeds from this company
because seed fertility keeps going down.”
While most
agree that Nepal must urgently address its food and security problems, critics
say that the solution to Nepal’s agricultural problems should come from within
the country, not from abroad.
The
ultimate goal of the protests was to put pressure on the government of Nepal to
cancel its agreement with USAID and Monsanto before the consequences hit. They
say the partnership will shift the country's dependence from imported maize to
genetically modified seeds from abroad.
Monsanto’s
history is not exactly branded in glory. Allegations of monopolization of local
markets follow the corporation, as it has been sued by hundreds of thousands of
farmers around the globe.
The latest
lawsuit against Monsanto was filed last week in New Castle, Delaware. The suit claims
that the corporation, "motivated by a desire for unwarranted economic
gain,” knowingly poisoned Argentinian farmers that were pressured to use the
company’s pesticides. The farmers insist that exposure to Monsanto’s chemicals
caused an array of defects in local children.
Some
European countries also strongly oppose using Monsanto’s genetically modified
seeds. Last month, the MON 810 strain of maize was temporarily banned in
France“to protect the environment.” Poland also stated it will move to ban the
strain completely. And last week, the European Commission failed to gather
enough support to approve cultivation of three corn varieties developed by
Monsanto.
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