The visit was made after a complaint by the Tamil Nadu Farmers Association leaders M Kannayan and Selvam in the farmers’ grievance redress meeting that the Bt cotton crop withered in many areas across the district.
The team visited Siruvalur, Kolappalur (Gobi) and Nichampalayam in Perundurai and interacted with the farmers, who used the genetically modified RCH-2 and Jabardas-520 seeds, supplied by two private firms. “The crop grow abnormally, and the leaves turn red and wither leading to great loss. As against 16 quintals from an acre, we get only six quintals,” some Nichampalayam farmers told the team.
"For an acre, the farmers spend around Rs 20,000 as input cost. Given the present yield, we would suffer Rs 10,000 per acre as loss," they said. "The firms said that the Bt cotton requires more micro and macro nutrients in the land to ensure highest yield and it is due to lack of such nutrients, the crop withered," the farmers said, adding that they wanted adequate compensation from both the firm and the government for their loss.
Kannayan and Selvamsaid that many small and marginal farmers cultivated Bt seeds in over 750 acres, after getting bank loan, which they are unable to repay now.




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