Monsanto- Seeds of Corruption?

Since Monsanto has come up a couple of times now in our class discussions and I hail from a largely agricultural community, I thought I would do some research about the company and its practices.    

            In the early 1990’s, Monsanto launched its genetically modified cotton seeds in India, which is the third largest cotton producer in the world (Robin, 2010).  In 1993, Monsanto negotiated an agreement with India’s largest seed company, Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company (Mahyco) in order to import seeds from the United States to crossbreed with local Indian hybrid seeds to create a new seed.  When India’s Genetic Engineering Approval Committee ruled that it was okay to plant the genetically modified seeds in 2002, local farmers bought them.  At first, farmers didn’t have to use as many pesticides because of the way the seeds were modified, but eventually insects built up a resistance to the chemicals.  Additionally, the yields did not increase and farmers got less money for their cotton because the fibers were shorter than that grown from the traditional seeds (Robin, 2010).  Since the seeds cost much more than the traditional seeds, farmers thought that it was not worth it.  Luckily, it is illegal to patent seeds in India, so the farmers could plant different seeds the following year without worrying about legal action from Monsanto as farmers in the United States would (Monsanto is able to do this by claiming that the technology from their seed is in the soil, therefore planting other seeds is prohibited because you would be using their technology without paying for the seeds). 

            Unfortunately, because of the low yields, farmers are forced to purchase more seeds, which puts them further in debt, especially since Monsanto continuously increases the price of their seeds.  So why would the farmers keep buying from them?  Monsanto advertises yields that are exaggerated up to 5 times their actual yield: advertised 1500/kg/year, but only produced 300-400 kg/year on average (Zhou, 2013).  This cycle of low production and increasing debt has actually contributed to an increased suicide rate among farmers in India; the country has seen over 250,000 farmer suicides between 1995 and 2010 (Zhou, 2013).   As we discussed in class, many of the battles with large corporations such as Monsanto take place in the courtroom, but who is going to represent the poor?  They are not in a position of power to make their voices heard against Monsanto’s false claims.  People such as Vandana Shiva are doing their part to raise awareness, but there needs to be more advocacy. 

            Another reason that Monsanto’s practices are a public health issue is that through patent law, they are able to control the food supply.  Once they gain patents on genetically modified seeds and those seeds become the norm, the company can collect royalties.  Farmers will depend on the company to supply seeds, and Monsanto will be able to charge whatever it wants.  As Vandana Shiva stated in an interview, “They control the seeds, they control the food supply” (Robin, 2010). 

Robin, Marie-Monique.  (2010). The World According to Monsanto: Pollution, Corruption,        and the Control of Our Food Supply. The New Press: New York.

Zhou, Mary. (2013). “Seeds of Corruption: The Monsanto Protection Act.”  Berkeley Political            Review. April 13.