Monsanto GM field trial destroyed in Haryana

In a stunning development, farmers in Kurukshetra (where field trial of Monsanto’s GM corn was being done) forced the Haryana Agriculture University authorities to fulfill their promise on completely destroying the field trial today. 

This happened after a day long drama where Monsanto’s officials, with the support of University staff, tried to sneak out the GM corn from the field trial this morning.

Alert villagers stopped them. Hundreds of farmers under the leadership of Gurnam Singh, state president of BKU, surrounded the research station when the news spread that Monsanto is stealthily removing its GM corn from the trial site inside the research station. 

They forced the University authorities to comply with the promise given to the agitating farmers yesterday that the field trial will be completely destroyed without even a single cob of corn being taken out. 

The original data sheet has also been destroyed.

This finally happened at 4.30 pm in the presence of the Deputy Director Agriculture, Shahbad, Kurukshetra.

This protest yesterday in Haryana and today’s developments come in the wake of a Parliamentary Standing Committee recommendation that all field trials of GM crops be stopped immediately in the country. Mr Deepinder Hooda is incidentally a member of the 31-member Committee which signed off the report unanimously.