Mealy
Bug Infestation In Punjab :
Bt. Cotton Falls Flat
By 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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