[Pil-pc-oceania] Monasanto GM vs Rural Farmers? - Keith Stewart

[Deb Guildner]

Hi Keith et al;

And thanks for continuing to put these contentious issues in forefront.

EDIT THIS? 
DO YOU MEAN, INTERPRET THIS?

Without clicking on even one of Monsanto's links to see what they would like us to read next, I can only posit a few pertinent questions.

[Especially topical as there is talk doing the rounds about the possible cessation of GE-crops moratorium in the state of Victoria....which yesterday on ABC Radio was denied by a possibly federal govt bureau.]

Biotechnology is a wide term, is it not?  I am not currently conversant with this topic.....perhaps I should 'bone up'.  I do not think it neccessarily implies GM. It may just cover all forms of plant breeding. It is just a hybrid word of 'biological technology'. Obfuscate, obfuscate!

It is curious that Monsanto is waxing lyrical about decreasing pesticide use....must be making a dent in their usual tidy profits!?  I smell a rat the size of King Kong.

That just leaves seeds and fertilisers, still a sizeable whack of brass, esp as they are so aggressive about seed ownership.  Look at the case of poor old Percy Meisner in Canade, whose organic Canola crop was conraminated by pollen from GM Canola up the road, resulting in him being very aggressively and ultimately sucessfully sued by Monsanto to the point of bankruptcy in recent years. The case against him was on the basis that his crop was analysed and found to be part Monsanto GM Canola due to the contamination from another farmer's crop. He wa therefore accused of being illegally growing Monsanto GM Canola without paying royalties to Monanto. Nasty.

Non GM Canadian Canola (Canada Oil) has been difficult to market to Europe (which has not readily accepted GM Canola) as a result of mass contamination. Monsanto could not have scripted it any better.

Genethics Network in Melbourne would be a good point of contact for those seeking further information,

Cheers
Deb

PS  A Naasa Inspector recently remarked to me that authorities in the USA investigating the sudden death syndrome of millions of bees might look to GM crop pollen as a potential source of woe.  The jury is currently out on the cause of bee mortality.....insufficient evidence at this stage.  It is well known, for example, that GM Canola can withstand 200 times the amount of glyshosate herbicide in its tissues that non GM Canola. Therefore some posit that the pollen might not be so bee friendly.

--- Original Message ----- 
  From: Keith Stewart 
  To: pil-pc-oceania at lists.permacultureinternational.org 
  Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2007 11:54 PM
  Subject: [Pil-pc-oceania] Monasanto GM vs Rural Farmers? - Keith Stewart


  PLEASE EDIT THIS

  ============================

  SUBJECT

  GROWING THE RICE WE LIKE TO EAT AND CAN SELL FOR A PROFIT IN RURAL BANGLADESH

  <not GM modified>

  I recently wrote a paper to various groups and NGO's I had worked with in rural Bangladesh about 'Why we had found it net, more profitable to continue to grow our four, local, GREAT TASTING varieties of rice in our 30 villages.

  Instead of buying and using Monsanto seed, chemicals, fertiliser, pesticides, herbicides etc.'

  Sent an 'Info Copy' to Monsanto in St. Louis MS - USA

  ----
  MY PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE - GROWING RICE IN BANGLADESH?

  I sat one afternoon on the verandah of the 'Man of Importance' for our 30 villages near Konabari.
  .
  We spoke half in Bangla, for I had lived and worked there for many years, and half in English because he was ex Indian Navy and had some English.

  He was 'Responsible' for the welfare etc of some 9,000 people - families etc in 'HIS' villages.

  Some land owners and many families who had a basic house and a couple of paddi fields.

  Most of 'HIS' villagers relied on very casual employment, growing rice etc. Earning, perhaps a dollar a day, only when there was some work, through the year.

  He felt and was totally responsible for their 'Welfare'.

  e..g He had started and funded a very basic school in a mud-brick house for the children of families who could not afford to send their children to Primary School.

  Also a basic medical clinic, free for basic health care for all OUR local residents.

  ========================
  Here is Monsanto's reply.

  From our Point of View' - would it make any sense to one of our rice farmers in rural Bangladesh?
  -------

  Thank you for your inquiry to http://www.monsanto.com.

  In 2005, the eight biotech crops grown in the U. S. increased crop
  yields by 8.34 billion pounds, saved growers $1.4 billion and reduced
  pesticide use by 69.7 million lbs. (Crops: alfalfa, canola, corn,
  cotton, papaya, soybean, squash, and sweet corn)[http://www.ncfap.org].

  In June 2003, NCFAP (www.ncfap.org) released the first of three case
  studies to estimate the potential impact of biotechnology in Europe:
  Key Findings - The widespread adoption of plant biotechnology in maize,
  oilseed rape, wheat, rice, tomatoes, potatoes, sugarbeets and stone
  fruit in Europe would result in significant yield increases, savings for
  growers and pesticide use reductions.  All together, the nine biotech
  crops would increase yields by 8.5 billion kilograms per year, increase
  grower net income by $(EURO)1.6 billion per year and reduce pesticide
  use by 14.4 million kilograms per year, compared with existing practices
  that would be replaced.

  Monsanto markets its agricultural biotechnology products in a number of
  countries around the world (US, Canada, Japan, Argentina, Europe, South
  Africa, Australia, etc.).  Each country has separate regulations
  regarding food, feed and environmental safety, and we must obtain
  approval for a product from all responsible regulatory bodies before it
  can be marketed in that country.  In addition, grain or food/feed
  products from these crops are often exported to other countries and,
  again, each country has its own set of requirements to allow imports.
  The following website http://bch.biodiv.org/ provides an overview of the
  regulatory systems of many countries around the world, as well as links
  to the specific government agencies.

  Biotech Safety and Benefits Information Available on Monsanto Web Site: 
  http://www.monsanto.com/monsanto/layout/our_pledge/default.asp The "New"
  Monsanto Pledge.
  Product Safety Summaries & Peer Reviewed Safety Publications:
  http://www.monsanto.com/monsanto/layout/products/technicalandsafety/safe
  tySum.asp

  While much of the safety information has been published in scientific
  journals, this is the first time the information has been assembled in
  documents that provide a summary of the food, feed, and environmental
  safety of each product in a single detailed document and made readily
  available through an easily accessible venue like the Internet. Each of
  the product safety summaries includes information on molecular
  characterizations, food and feed safety assessments, compositional
  analysis and nutritional assessments, and environmental safety
  assessments. The posted information is a summary of the information
  reviewed by regulatory authorities throughout the world. This provides a
  detailed summary of the broad array of data and information that is
  developed for each agricultural biotech product. 

  Please visit the Biotech Knowledge Center at
  http://www.biotechknowledge.monsanto.com/ . This site and its materials
  -- which represent many points of view -- were established to promote a
  deeper understanding of food biotechnology and other life sciences, and
  the many complex issues associated with them. 

  Please visit the links at http://pewagbiotech.org/research/harvest/ and
  http://www.isaaa.org:
  The first link will lead you to the Pew Initiative on Agriculture and
  Biotechnology.  The Executive Summary report on "Harvest on the Horizon
  - Future Uses of Agricultural Biotechnology" is an excellent review of
  future potential products of agricultural biotechnology. Within this
  Executive Summary is a link
  http://pewagbiotech.org/research/harvest/harvest.pdf to the full
  report.The second link will take you to the International Service for
  the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA).  At this site you
  will find a summary of all current biotech products including global
  acreages(
  http://search.freefind.com/find.html?id=4431903&pid=r&mode=ALL&query=acr
  es&t=s ).

  The SEARCH function on the Monsanto Website can be linked at
  http://www.monsanto.com/monsanto/layout/default.asp.  There will be a
  window at this location.  To utilize the search function place your
  cursor into the window and type in "Key Words" relating to your search.
  The Monsanto search engine will provide a display of all relevant
  information regarding your "Key Words".

  Please also visit www.teachingscience.org, http://www.whybiotech.com [In
  Depth Reports @ http://www.whybiotech.com/index.asp?id=2870 ],
  http://www.agbios.com and www.core-online.org/events/videos/voices.htm
  or http://members.tripod.com/c_rader0/gemod.htm.

  Monsanto Webguru

  -----Original Message-----
  From: brooklynboats at integritynet.com.au
  [mailto:brooklynboats at integritynet.com.au] 
  Sent: Monday, May 14, 2007 4:24 PM
  To: WEBGURU, EMAIL [AG/1000]
  Subject: Monsanto Gateway - Site Feedback


  This message came from remote address - 203.80.165.38

  Name: Keith Stewart

  City: Woy Woy

  State: NSW

  Country: Australia

  Comments or Questions:
  I speak as an informed 'Anglo' person who came to the USA, spoke with
  someone at Monsanto near your 'Arches' from the Phillpines who who not
  did speak our 'BANGLA' and who knew NOTHING about our rural Bangladesh.

  Tried to tell him, "we cannot afford to either grow or sell your
  'Monsanto' rice in Bangladesh with all your pesticides and herbicides
  etc., can we?

  Fom our 'Bottom Up' in our 30 local villages, I am told by our local
  'Expert' that we must not grow either Monsanto or IRRI rice to make a
  local, net profit.

  Is he right?

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  --
  --------------------
  In our 30 local villages in rural Bangladesh, for many centuries we have
  grown our own four, good-tasting local varieties of our rice that we
  choose to eat.

  MONSANTO in the USA wants to stop us growing the rice we can grow
  locally, and enjoy growing then eating 'Their' tasteless, USA rice.

  'Their' rice from the USA requires far more water, buying MONSANTO
  herbicides on our fields to kill weeds, buying MONSANTO pesticides to
  kill bugs.

  MONSANTO? We are not allowed to save our local FREE seed for next year.
  But will be required to buy MONSANTO seed.

  SELLING MONSANTO RICE ?  We can only sell for some Tk17 per kilo.

  MONSANTO rice has no taste, does it?

  Our old varieties have taste.

  Don't need imported chemicals, bouhgt from MONSANTO.

  Any extra, we can sell for some Tk45 to Tk55 per kilo.

  Without having had to buy their USA-MONSANTO chemicals.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------

  REAL WORLD - GROWING RICE IN BANGLADESH?

  I created a spreadsheet to determine the net profit from growing our
  traditional rice. vs. growing MONSANTO's rice.

  Sat on the verandah of a 'Man of Influence' who owned many local rice
  fields. Also hre is responsible for some 13 villages, all of their
  families grow rice in his fields.

  Without a spreadsheet or a computer, he told me why, "It is not worth
  our growing MONSANTO or the rice from the Geen Revolution is it?

  Keith Stewart
  ENDS

  This site visitor has consented to have his/her personal information
  transferred across national borders.


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