FOCUS ON THE FUNDAMENTALS
Mr Wicha testified before the Senate that Thailand, in order to help feed the world, needs GM crops. He raised the example of Bangladesh,
which is a poor country where many people still go hungry.
His view is not shared by Mr Daycha, who argued that although Thailand actually has a surplus of food, people still go hungry.
"They go hungry because they cannot afford to buy food. Many people don't have access to the means of food production, such as land and
capital. These means of production have been monopolised and captured by some groups of people, such as landowners and corporations," he
said.
He also cast doubt on the benefits of GM crops which contain a natural pesticide, citing reports that in some cases farmers have been forced to
use more pesticides due to resistance in the insects which builds up over time (see sidebar).
Witoon Lianchomroon of BioThai said that GMOs sometimes increase the investment for farmers. He gave the example of Warangal village in
Andhra Pradesh, India, where farmers are complaining about having to pay more for the seeds of so-called pest resistant cotton, and then having
to pay more for pesticides as well.
Witoon wonders if ending hunger is the real motivation for corporations which market GM crops. He said that biotech food research was
usually done to respond to the needs of food processors and retailers in developed countries. For example, one kind of tomato was modified
with a gene from a fish so that it would have a longer shelf life.
Witoon said the main purpose of the corporations marketing GM crops is to profit from their patents. The companies' sales agreements with
farmers prevent them from saving their seeds at harvest time for the next planting. They are forced to buy new seeds. The transgenic seeds are
much more expensive as well. For example, Srisomrong cotton seeds cost only around 15 baht a kilo, while GM cotton seeds cost around 600
baht a kilo.
FOCUS ON THE FUNDAMENTALS
Mr Wicha testified before the Senate that Thailand, in order to help feed the world, needs GM crops. He raised the example of Bangladesh,
which is a poor country where many people still go hungry.
His view is not shared by Mr Daycha, who argued that although Thailand actually has a surplus of food, people still go hungry.
"They go hungry because they cannot afford to buy food. Many people don't have access to the means of food production, such as land and
capital. These means of production have been monopolised and captured by some groups of people, such as landowners and corporations," he
said.
He also cast doubt on the benefits of GM crops which contain a natural pesticide, citing reports that in some cases farmers have been forced to
use more pesticides due to resistance in the insects which builds up over time (see sidebar).
Witoon Lianchomroon of BioThai said that GMOs sometimes increase the investment for farmers. He gave the example of Warangal village in
Andhra Pradesh, India, where farmers are complaining about having to pay more for the seeds of so-called pest resistant cotton, and then having
to pay more for pesticides as well.
Witoon wonders if ending hunger is the real motivation for corporations which market GM crops. He said that biotech food research was
usually done to respond to the needs of food processors and retailers in developed countries. For example, one kind of tomato was modified
with a gene from a fish so that it would have a longer shelf life.
Witoon said the main purpose of the corporations marketing GM crops is to profit from their patents. The companies' sales agreements with
farmers prevent them from saving their seeds at harvest time for the next planting. They are forced to buy new seeds. The transgenic seeds are
much more expensive as well. For example, Srisomrong cotton seeds cost only around 15 baht a kilo, while GM cotton seeds cost around 600
baht a kilo.
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