Mealy Bug Infestation In Punjab :
Bt. Cotton Falls FlatBy Umendra Dutt
21 August, 2007
Countercurrents.org
Pesticide Companies, who had practically closed shop, are upbeat in Punjab right now. They have sold pesticides worth Rs 500 crores in last two months. The intense attack of mealy bugs has demolished the infallibility of Bt cotton in just three months. With thousands of acres of Bt cotton in Malwa region facing attack, desperate farmers are resorting to intensive pesticide sprays. Major portion of cotton crop has been lost and usually happens, the looser here is farmer. First he purchased expensive Bollgard Bt seeds and after the attack of mealy bugs, farmers turned to pesticides.The seed companies had already extracted their pound of pound of flesh from farmer and now it is turn of pesticide companies. Our farmer is surrounded by merchants of Venice; there are Shylocks all around him.
Once the attack spread, there was panic among the farmers of cotton. Once farmers began ploughing their Bt cotton crops the Directorate of Agriculture, Punjab brought out advertisements in vernacular dailies with a photo of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Agriculture Minister Sucha Singh Langah prescribing a list of pesticides to control mealy bug. Reading as "To Control Mealy bug attack on cotton", it also carries a list of deadly pesticides - Carbryl, Thiodicarb of Carbamate group, Quinalphos, Prosenofos, Chloropyrifos and Acephate of Organophas group. The advertisement also advises the use of Holocon nozzles while spraying. Ironically, the advertisement resembles the ones brought out by pesticide companies.
It is a tragedy that two years back the Punjab government had published a similar advertisement bearing the photo of then Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh describing the introduction of Bt cotton as great achievement. At that time government advertisement has made tall claims about advantages of Bt cotton, stating increase in yield by 25% to 28% per hectare, net increase in income by Rs 10,000/- to 15,000 per hectare, saving on agrochemicals upto Rs 1000/- per hectare, etc.
But, this season, which is the third year of the official entry of Bt cotton in Punjab, farmers are forced to spend more money on pesticides, which is opposite to what was claimed.
Surprisingly, Punjab is the only state where one could find government advertisements with CM's photos either for the promotion of Bt cotton or for propagating use of pesticides. Apparently, the agri business companies could not find state patronage more then this. Punjab seems to be heaven for these companies. The agriculture establishments here are advocating all sorts of, agrochemicals, Hybrid seeds, Bt seeds and whole lot of poisons more loudly then the manufacturers.
The Government has very right to issue advertisements about its achievements what ever they want to communicate to the people, but how do a government advertisement can do propagation of Bt cotton or pesticides. We have to question the very mind set and thought behind these advertisements. The agriculture establishments in Punjab are looking for solution of every problem with the eyes of farm input companies and agribusiness corporations. This indicates the intellectual bankruptcy of the peoples at the helm of affairs in the state. What could be more ironical that solutions which they are suggesting are not only more problematic but also totally unsustainable. These "solutions" are bound to cause even more devastation. Those who are prescribing these solutions are not legally bound to any action if their prescription brings any adverse effects after few years. The so called agriculture experts will go scot-free but poor farmer will certainly loose their money, land, health and may be lives too.
After the onset of mealy bug infestation, pesticides were sold as the ultimate weapon. The pesticides such as Prosenofos, Acephate, Methyalparothion, Monocrotophos, DDVP, Acetomiprid, Chloropyrifos, Imidachloprid and Clothidin sold in 100s of Kiloliters/ Metric tons. This season, it would not be surprising if pesticide sale crosses 800 crores. It is notable that apart from pesticides, farmers had also applied chemical fertilizers like DAP and NPK. The economics of Bt cotton has already lost its shine this year. The tall claims made by Government, Agriculture University and companies regarding increase in yield and profit are just washed away in mealy bug menace. But, no body is talking about the loss of farmers. The farmers who sow Bt cotton seeds are now feeling cheated as their dreams are turning into a nightmare.
Mealy bug had destroyed large portion of cotton crop this year so much so that Director Agriculture himself expressed drop in production of cotton bales despite increased area under cotton cultivation. Last year the cotton crop was cultivated in 5.70 lakh hectares and this year it is 6.48 lakh hectares, thus increase by 78,000 hectares. However cotton production is expected to be 22 lakh bales this year against 27 lakh bales of last year.
Mealy bug attacked cotton in all most whole of Malwa. The white sticky bug made cotton fields as they were covered by snow. It has also entered the house and kitchen gardens. Though it has attacked cotton last year also but damage remains in a limited scale. But this year it becomes so widespread that in hundreds of villages' farmers after farmers ploughed their Bt cotton field to get rid of mealy bug. The phenomena can be found in all pockets of cotton belt. There is large number of farmers across the cotton belt who had ploughed their fields to sow paddy.
A panic-stricken government is burning midnight oil (even working through the weekend!) figuring out the best pesticide to tackle the menace and how to make these available to farmers. They declared war against mealy bug with ammunition from Sygenta. The agriculture development officers had become brand campaigner for Actara. The entire agriculture establishment of Punjab seeks asylum in poisons only. While promoting pesticides they had also advised farmers to spray herbicides all along the farm to prevent weeds. This means more poison load on all ready devastated eco-system of Punjab .
The chemicalisation and monoculturization of agriculture in Punjab has turned the agriculture experts into bonded labours of chemical farming and the pesticide industry. With fixed notions on what best to do, there no desire to break the present agriculture thought process and paradigm shift. They can not dare to do so, as it does not suit the masters of present agriculture system. That is why, now they had brought ridiculous reasons for mealy bug infestation. According to Head of Entomology department of PAU Dr N S Bhutter, "Prior to the introduction of Bt cotton, we used to spray the crops with chemicals which killed these pests. Now as the pest umbrella has been lifted because Bt cotton does not need so many sprays, these pests are becoming dormant". He goes further when asked by journalist why PAU didn't think of this attack when it was rooting for Bt cotton as a panacea for Punjab farmers' problems, the reply given by him reflects that there is some thing seriously wrong with the vision of Punjab agriculture establishment. Dr Bhutter says "At that time there was no mealy bug, and we were dealing with just American Bollworm. With chemicals, we will be able to control this bug too"
This is approach of not only PAU but also of department. The agriculture experts encouraged farmers to spray pesticides, with devastating results. Large number of farmers and labours who got exposed to deadly pesticides hospitalized at several towns in Cotton belt. Two deaths were also reported due to pesticide exposure. Mobile vans carrying big banners of pesticide companies are criss-crossing villages to educate farmers about mealy bug attack. But educating farmers is a money minting exercise for pesticide companies.
This means there neither is any holistic approach, no farsightedness, no concern about destruction done by chemicals, nor was any thought for ecological, economic and social implications of this highly toxic agriculture. It is very disgusting that agriculture establishment does not want to come out of vicious cycle of pesticides and agrochemicals. Now they take refugee in blaming adverse weather for mealy bug menace. The agriculture establishment has become selective dumb, deaf and blind and do not want to see what is happening elsewhere. When lakhs of farmers are successfully growing cotton without using any sort of chemicals and even without Bt seeds, why this cannot be happen in Punjab. But our politicians, beurocrates, scientists and planners all are hypnotized by companies. Even companies are powerful enough to demolish every type of political difference. All main parties of Punjab become mad in the craze for Bt is so much so that every one want to claim on credit for Bt cotton release and its further expansion.
It is also quite interesting that both main political parties had a fight over credit of bringing Bt cotton into state. Not only this, after assuming power the new Akali Dal regime has declared that they shall sell more packets of Bt cotton then previous Congress government. The euphoria for Bt cotton not ends here, despite mealy bug attack on Bt cotton the agriculture minister Sucha Singh Langah proudly announced in his Independence day address at Muktsar on 15 August at Muktsar that his government is proud of distributing 15, 35, 500 packets of Bt cotton seeds at the rate of Rs 760 per packet. If this is the state of affairs in Punjab, then it is a tragedy for the so called developed state.
But in this darkness of chemical farming, there is a ray of hope also. The natural farming is making inroads in Punjab. Mealy bug does not worry natural farmers at all. The farmers who are practicing natural farming neither use Bt cotton nor do any pesticide. But still their cotton crops are healthy and free from any destruction caused by mealy bug. First of all they witnessed very mild mealy bug attack, courtesy multiple cropping system. Their cotton field has as many as 8 crops to 15 crops. Secondly if mealy bug even attacked their crops they controlled it with neem, dhtura and cow urine. There are large numbers of farmers who are proud owner of naturally treated farms. These farmers are erecting the foundation for paradigm shift in Punjab. A constructive change is taking place but minus experts and the establishment. It is a community initiative and farmer driven movement called Kheti Virasat Mission. The growing numbers of farmers practicing natural farming is an indicator that society wants a change in agriculture perspective and paradigm. These farmers are already walked out of Bt and pesticide trap and now leading the Punjab for a imperishable prosperity, free from exploitation of farmer as well as Mother Nature.
The mealy bug gives a lesson to agriculture establishment and protagonists of chemicalised agriculture that their pest control design is faulty. The small insect dares the agriculture scientists to change their view, but who has guts to do so? Punjab devastated by ecological crisis, debts, suicides and cancers waiting for this.
Author is Executive Director of Kheti Virasat Mission. Jaitu, Faridkot district based environmental NGO in Punjab . E-mail: [email protected])
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