200 TNFA destroyes crop of GE rice field

Coimbatore, Nov 10 (UNI) Over 200 activists of several Tamil Nadu Farmers Association (TNFA) today destroyed the crops of Genetically Engineered rice field at Ramanathapuram village near Alanthurai about 20 km from here, where the Mahyco-Monsanto company was cultivating them.

Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam Chairman K Chellamuthu, Tamil Nadu Green Movement President Jeevanandham and Pasumai Thaayagam Organiser Sathriya Sekar were led this destroying the Genetically Engineered (GE) rice crop agitation.

According to agitators, this leased out plot to Mahyco-Monsanto was one of the ten locations across the country where untested variety of BT Rice field trial (BT Cry 1 Ac rice) was being carried out by the company. The Activists put up a banner that declared the plot to be one GE rice field trial location. They also planted bio-hazard signposts along the plot ad demarcated the area with tapes. They marched to the field wearing safety masks and uprooted matured rice plants.

Mr Chellamuthu told the reporters that the company was selling BT cotton seeds across India with hype, trapping farmers with false promises and driving many of them to commit sucide in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

They said ''We have seen the farmers' plight after falling in debt traps due to high cost of Bt seed and escalated cost of production.

We will not allow that to happen in Tamil Nadu''.

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