A recent report has revealed that multinational corporations’ claims about the benefits of genetically modified crops are badly flawed. The study, Global Citizens’ Report on the State of GMOs, drew on data from 20 Indian, southeast Asian, African and Latin American food and conservation groups representing millions of people. It showed that genetically modified seeds have not increased crop yields, but have led to the creation of “superweeds” resistant to herbicides. The modified crops are now grown in 29 countries on approximately 3.7 billion acres of land.
Farmers planting GM crops have been forced to dramatically increase use of harmful chemicals. In Argentina and Brazil, soya farmers are using twice as much herbicide on GM crops as compared to conventional ones. The study also accused Monsanto of controlling 95 percent of India’s market in cotton seeds, sharply increasing prices and driving farmers into debt. Tens of thousands of indebted Indian farmers—as many as 250,000—have committed suicide over the last 15 years.
