Transgenic Cotton Tested in India; Farmers Fear Introduction of "Terminator" Crops

Back to Map Page December, 1998 Karnataka State, India Cotton farmers in rural India have recently joined the international furor over genetically engineered crops. Widespread protests were sparked by the discovery that Monsanto Corporation was testing cotton with the "terminator" gene in farmers' fields without informing the farmers. At least one farmer burned his fields in protest. Monsanto had already established some 40 trial fields in five states in India to test pest-resistant cotton (using the Bt toxin). But the charge of introducing terminator gene technology raised a furor among farmers. Farmers charge that Monsanto, an American multinational biotechnology corporation, is developing cotton varieties with a so-called "terminator" gene that will undercut their livelihoods, the local cotton economy, and the survival of poor, rural cotton farmers across India. Plants with "terminator" genes destroy their own seeds, so that farmers cannot save this year's seeds to plant next year's crops. Instead, farmers must purchase (or even "rent") new seeds each year. Because these seeds are engineered for high productivity, they bring premium prices. This guarantees a good income for the seed seller, in this case Monsanto. High prices and monopoly ownership can also pull farmers into an endless cycle of debt, caused by farmers' dependency on the seed producer for seeds, that poor farmers can ill afford. Larger producers, with more cash on hand, can better afford to purchase new seeds and the chemicals required to grow them. If the genetically altered seeds produce more cotton than traditional seeds, then larger farmers will have greater income when they sell their crops at the end of the year. Thus, argue the cotton farmers in Karnataka, the rich will get richer and the poor will get into greater and greater debt. For poor farmers in India this specter of debt and dependency is deeply threatening. The terminator gene is essentially a dormant gene for producing a seed-killing toxin. The toxin-producing gene is borrowed from an entirely different species of plant, along with a blocking gene that keeps the plant from producing the toxin. As long as the gene remains blocked, cotton, as well as corn, tobacco, canola, and other crops with the gene, produce viable seeds. But before a batch of seeds is sold to farmers it is soaked in an enzyme solution that un-blocks the toxin-producing gene. When the un-blocked seeds are planted, they will grow as normal, but each plant will produce the toxin that kills its own seeds. Monsanto and the US government argue that they have a right to own and control these plants because they have invested heavily in developing superior producing varieties. Corporations need to see a return on their investments; the US government has an interest in supporting American corporations and their interests abroad. In fact, the terminator technology was initially developed and patented by the US Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with the Mississippi seed company Delta and Pine Land. Monsanto has since bought Delta and its patent rights to the genetic technology, reportedly for more than $1 billion. Environmentalists and farmers counter that genetic alterations will bring a variety of economic, environmental, and human health costs for which genetic engineering corporations will bear no responsibility. Many of these costs, they argue, will be problems we cannot even anticipate today because the genetic technology is so new. Monsanto has produced many of the genetically altered agricultural products currently available or being tested for the market. Included among Monsanto's products is the recently controversial "bovine growth hormone" (bovine somatotropin, or BST) that was introduced in the United States several years ago, amid vigorous protest and debate. BST increases milk production in dairy cows. The protests around BST involved economic issues similar to those surrounding cotton growing in Karnataka: fears of an endless cycle of indebtedness and dependency that would drive small farmers out of business. "Terminator" cotton is still under development and is not yet being sold in India. However farm activists there report that Delta and the US Government have applied for a patent for the technology in India, which implies that they plan to introduce cotton--and other crops--with these genes in the coming years. For further information, see these related web sites: Report from the Indian Express (Bombay) Explanation of controversies surrounding genetically engineered crops "How the terminator terminates" Report from the Economic Times (of Bombay) Rural Advancement Foundation information More reports on recent protests News from the Philadelphia Inquirer To read more, see Environmental Science, A Global Concern, Cunningham and Saigo, 5th ed. Agricultural economics: pp. 219-220 International development--costs and benefits: pp. 173-75 Back to Map Page feedback form | permissions | international | locate your campus rep | request a review copy digital solutions | publish with us | customer service | mhhe home Copyright ©2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies. Any use is subject to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. McGraw-Hill Higher Education is one of the many fine businesses of the The McGraw-Hill Companies.