Bt cotton: AIKS dissatisfied with talks

Vijayawada, Mar 7 (UNI) The All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) today expressed dissatisfaction over the outcome of talks between the government and US multinational Mahyco Monsanto.

During talks, the company agreed to cut the royalty or technology licensing fee by 30 per cent on its bt cotton seed.

Talking to UNI here, AIKS vice-president Kolli Nageswara Rao said the party will raise the issue with the state government asking it to exert pressure on the company to also stop collecting the balance Rs 900 royalty per acre from Indian companies for licensing the technology. The company had been collecting Rs 1,200 per acre.

The reduction of Rs 300 on the price of bt cotton seed was only an ''eye wash,'' and the AIKS will protest against this in the coming days, he said.

While the American company was collecting 30 per cent as royalty fee in other countries, it was charging four times the amount from Indian companies, he added.

Mr Rao said the farmers were forced to buy spurious seeds as they could not afford the high prices of bt cotton seeds.

In wake of farmers' suicides in several states after crop failures due to use of spurious seeds, the government had initiated talks with Monsanto.

The Andhra Pradesh government had taken the company to court in January for not adequately compensating the farmers in the state who failed to get the desired yields for some bt cotton varieties.

The government also filed a petition with the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTC) against the high royalty on the seeds.

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