ONganic workshop on 30 May 2015

ONganic is an initiative by Switch ON, started with an aim to create direct market linkage between farmers and urban consumers. This initiative aims to support farmers to sustainably transition to non chemical and organic farming, while providing the urban consumers with a healthy, chemical free alternative for food. At the launch please find our exclusive range of Indigenous Rice and Rice based products, Millets, Dairy Products, Pulses, Spices and more.

EVENT : Traditional Maize Workshop and Mela

A 2 day --Traditional Maize Workshop & Mela was organised by Sahaja Samrudha, ASHA,Banyan roots and VAAGDHARA at Udaipur-Rajasthan where custodian farmers from 8 states namely – Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab & Uttarakhand conserving more than 50 types of traditional Maize in spectacular colors like Red, Cherry, Orange, Purple, White apart from the common Yellow participated. 

Apart from the amazing diversity of Maize in different parts of India, the participants discussed and presented the diverse characteristics of traditional Maize that can grow in different agro-climatic zones ranging from sea level to 3000 metres, in different soil types and terrain. Different Maize varieties with duration ranging from 60 days to 180 days with varied heights, number of cobs, and other unique features were discussed. Apart from the agronomic practices the spectacular cultural-nutritional & medicinal uses along with different recipes were presented.

In spite of the clichéd view that traditional Maize is low yielding and thus cannot meet the current challenges of food security; the custodian farmers were unanimous that under field conditions in diverse terrains, traditional Maize shows yields upto 2 MT/ac which is comparable to the yields of hybrid varieties under rain-fed conditions. However with simple seed selection and agronomic practices farmers can enhance yields greatly.

The farmer collective as a whole felt there is strong need to promote these unique traditional varieties that are not only more fit to face the challenge of climate change and pest infestation but at the same time has unique nutritive and medicinal advantages that are completely absent in modern varieties e.g – Red & Purple Maize has some of the highest levels of Anthocyanin that have anti-cancer properties.

Many of these unique grains and Maize based products are available at Banyan Roots--A complete organic store at Udaipur.

The group unanimously resolved to take up traditional Maize conservation and multiplication of the traditional varieties instead of the hybrid maize being promoted by the Govt research systems and seed industry.

If any organization and individuals are interested in take up desi maize cultivation and value production , pl contact Krishna Parsad-09880862058 or Soumik- 09430168663  

Sahaja Samrudha
'Nandana', No-7, 2nd Cross,
7th Main, Sulthanpalya, Bangalore-560 032
Phone: 080-23655302 / 9880862058
www.sahajasamrudha.org

March Against Monsanto explodes globally... World citizens stage massive protests across 38 countries, 428 cities... mainstream media pretends it never happened

Sunday, May 24, 2015
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger

(NaturalNews) The March Against Monsanto exploded across the planet today as protesters took to the streets in 38 countries and 428 cities to protest the world's most evil corporation: Monsanto. (Tweet this story #MarchAgainstMonsanto)

Protesters from New York, London, Berlin, Paris and even across South America, Asia and India rallied against the toxic agricultural practices of Monsanto, a corporation whose business model depends on poisoning the citizens of the planet, destroying the agricultural ecosystem, monopolizing the seed supply and hiring online character assassins to attack anyone who opposes its agenda.

Protesters worldwide took to the streets today to demand GMO labeling and bans on Roundup (glyphosate), the toxic herbicide chemical that even the World Health Organization recently linked to cancer. "We need to stop feeding humanity such a vile toxin," said one protester.

Watch the protest compilation video from RT here: (see more pictures below)






Photo credit h/t to John Graf for the above two photos.

Mainstream media totally compromised, refuses to cover massive global uprising against Monsanto

As expected, virtually the entire "sellout" mainstream media refused to cover the event, pretending that the citizens of the world aren't rising up against an enormous corporate evil that threatens the future of our planet.

The Associated Press ran a story mentioning local protests in Hawaii but refused to print the words "March Against Monsanto" or to even mention that these protests were taking place in over 400 cities across the globe.

Nearly the entire western media has been infiltrated and corrupted by Monsanto, including the once-respected magazine National Geographic which now functions as the propaganda arm for the life-destroying biotech industry. National Geographic's magazines are now filled with multi-page ads for Big Pharma and Big Biotech, while its editors ludicrously attempt to paint scientists and citizens who have concerns about GMOs as tin foil hat-wearing lunatics.

Once-celebrated newspapers like the Washington Post have also been entirely overrun by Monsanto infiltration and disinformation. The paper's science editors function as nothing more than Monsanto puppets and propaganda mouthpieces, pushing biotech talking points as if they were scientific fact while utterly ignoring the realities of cancer-causing glyphosate, seed supply monopolization, genetic pollution and Monsanto's lawsuit attacks on farmers.

Today, only the Independent Media covers the truth about Monsanto, GMOs and glyphosate. Every mainstream media news source has sold out humanity to pure evil.

Here are some of the photos from RT's March Against Monsanto video:

New emphasis on glyphosate (Roundup)

This year's marches featured increased emphasis on the toxicity of Roundup (glyphosate), Monsanto's weed killer chemical that's sprayed liberally on crops.

Glyphosate has been linked to cancer by the World Health Organization, and researchers around the world believe glyphosate is linked to increased risks of cancer tumors in humans and animals that consume GMO crops.

This photo from the Seralini study shows how glyphosate and GMOs caused massive, fatal tumors in laboratory rats:



Learn more about glyphosate toxicity and the dangers of GMOs at these important websites:
http://www.gmoseralini.org/en/
http://www.gmoevidence.com/
http://gmojudycarman.org/

Glyphosate is also now strongly suspected of contributing to the autism epidemic. Dr. Stephanie Seneff from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is now warning that if the chemical poisoning of our world isn't stopped, nearly half of all children born in the United States by the year 2025 will be autistic.

Watch this video from Next News Network for more details:

Hillary Clinton's ties to Monsanto exposed

Natural News has been key in exposing Hillary Clinton's deep ties to Monsanto. Now known as the "Bride of Frankenfood," Hillary Clinton is a pro-Monsanto operative who hired a top Monsanto lobbyist to help run her campaign.

She also represented Monsanto as a lawyer with her now-infamous Rose Law Firm in Arkansas. Clinton is so pro-Monsanto and pro-GMO that she even spoke on behalf of the Biotechnology Industry Organization.

If Hillary Clinton becomes President, Monsanto will occupy the White House. This is why it's absolutely crucial that the Democratic party find someone else to win the primary who isn't a Monsanto puppet.



If Hillary Clinton becomes president, you can expect the full Monsanto agenda to be aggressively pushed as national policy:

• A nationwide federal ban on GMO labeling.

• Immediate USDA approval of all experimental GMO crops.

• Extreme, politically motivated attacks against all anti-GMO activists, scientists and journalists.

• Huge increases in taxpayer-funded subsidies for farmers who grow GMO crops.

• Aggressive corporate imperialism push to overturn bans on glyphosate and GMOs by other nations.

• Possibly even attempts by the FDA to outlaw non-GMO Project Verified labels in the same way they attacked hormone-free labels for cow's milk.

Make no mistake: A vote for Hillary is a vote for Monsanto.

SOURCE: http://www.naturalnews.com/049833_March_Against_Monsanto_citizen_protests_glyphosate_toxicity.html#ixzz3cgOuPM7V

NEWS: Seeding for a healthy future

CITIES » CHENNAI

CHENNAI, May 24, 2015

Updated: May 24, 2015 05:33 IST

It was his urge to give good pesticide-free food and thereby, a healthy life to his young daughter that drove R. Mithunkumar to get into community farming. “I also have a terrace garden. I am right now doing the initial work for my farming and in a year or so, I expect to get it fully running,” he said picking up lots of seeds at the organic food Mela organised on Saturday.

Many like Mr. Mithunkumar picked organic seeds from farmers who had brought in native varieties of brinjal, bitter gourd, cluster beans, snake gourd. The Mela, organised also as part of worldwide march against Monsanto, had farmers displaying seeds of up to 800 varieties of paddy.

G. F. Visvasam from Simcodess, an NGO working with 250 farmers on 488 acres, explained how they were reviving Karunkanni cotton, native to Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest varieties in the State. His stall also had seeds of thambatta avarai whose cluster bean would each grow up to a length of half a foot, aamanaku and different kinds of saamai. The mela also had terrace garden tools and a food section where native foods including uradh dhal kali, modakathaan juice, and varagu sambar saadham were available. Ananthoo of the Safe Food Alliance explained how such melas helped spread the message of organic farming. “We are seeing a lot of terrace garden enthusiasts at the melas. There is exchange of information and ideas here,” he said.

SOURCE: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/seeding-for-a-healthy-future/article7240172.ece?ref=tpnews

NEWS: A man of scientific temper, a literacy activist and an honest politician, he lost the polls

A man of scientific temp                                     

   By  P C Vinoj Kumar
   Vellore 13 Jun 2015 

Posted 23-May-2015
Vol 6 Issue 21

  With child-like enthusiasm, K Viswanathan takes us around his village showing the development schemes that had been implemented in the period when he and his wife held successive terms as president of Kattuputhur Panchayat.
Between 2001 and 2011 the couple brought in many changes in the panchayat that grabbed the attention of the district administration and numerous ministries of both the state and central governments.

Viswanathan is a model panchayat leader in Tamil Nadu, who initiated several progressive schemes in his village (Photos: H K Rajashekar)

The panchayat bagged several awards including the Nirmal Gram Puraskar from the Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation for its successful programme of constructing toilets in all the homes in the village, and the prestigious Uthamar Gandhi award of the State government for good governance.
Even in the height of summer it is surprising to see a lot of greenery in the village, and some signs of agriculture activity.
In Vellore district, where rainfall is scanty, wells generally run dry in summer and there is hardly any farming during the season. It is difficult to even get fodder for the cattle.
But the scene is refreshingly different in this village. Though wells are not exactly brimming over, people still get water from borewells to feed their cattle and grow crops.
According to residents, water table in the village went up after Viswanathan and his wife implemented various water conservation schemes.
Viswanathan says they had built 75 check dams with financial assistance from the State agriculture and forest departments and the State and Central government aided afforestation projects.
Ten ponds were renovated; some of them deepened to hold more water, and few others cleared of encroachments and brought back to life.
The panchayat identified the ponds that had been encroached upon from village records and persuaded the families occupying it to vacate the land.
“We spoke to the families about the importance of protecting the water bodies, which was in the interest of the whole village and also our future generations. The encroachers vacated the land and we restored the ponds,” says Viswanathan.
Besides building the regular check dams with cement and bricks, he has also built ‘loose rock check dams’ on streams across the village. A loose rock check dam is a pile of rocks and boulders arranged one over another from a depth of 2-3 feet and jutting out 3-4 feet above the ground.
“We built 24 such structures under the drought prone area programme, a central government scheme. These structures help in storing the flowing water, and raise the ground water table,” says the 54-year-old former panchayat president, who is also the district secretary of Tamil Nadu Science Forum.

Viswanathan with his wife Chandrika, who was president of Kattuputhur panchayat between 2001 and 2006

A Mathematics graduate from Government Arts and Science College in Vellore, he got elected as president of Cooperative Milk Society in his village in 1981 while he was in college, and continued to hold the post for several years.
Later, he became a volunteer in the adult education programme, a literacy project for adults initiated by the government. Since the early 1990s he became involved in ‘Arivoli Iyakkam,’ a mass literacy movement of the State Government, through Tamil Nadu Science Forum.
As a socially conscious individual, he always had the desire to contribute in some way for the development of his village.
When their village panchayat was declared reserved for dalit women in 2001, he prevailed upon his wife Chandrika to contest for the post of president. She got elected and the couple began to introduce new projects and schemes in the village.
Viswanathan was elected as president when the panchayat was de-reserved and slotted in general category in 2006.
“Ours is a plastic free village. We educated our people on the harmful effects of plastic covers thrown on the soil and encouraged them to carry cloth bags when they go to shops. We also persuaded the shops not to sell cigarettes and all kinds of tobacco products,” says Viswanathan.

Kattuputhur panchayat has a total of 75 check dams - like the one seen in photo - and 24 loose rock check dams

Though he could not get re-elected in 2011 – the buzz is that he was defeated by the money power of his rival, who is alleged to have spent a huge amount in stark contrast to Viswanathan’s ‘no-cost’ campaigning - people are voluntarily staying away from plastic bags and some shops are still not selling cigarettes.
“I don’t sell cigarettes or paan products,” says Vimal, one of the shopkeepers in the village still enforcing the ban.
Located on the foot of the 800 feet high Kailasagiri hill where the ruins of a British fort are found, and 10 km from the historic Vellore town, around 5500 people live in the six hamlets falling under Kattuputhur Panchayat.
Unlike many panchayat presidents in the State, who invariably belong to one of the major political parties and drive in swanky SUVs, Viswanathan does not even own a motorised two-wheeler, leave alone a car.
He enjoys a clean reputation and locals describe him as an honest leader, who has the interests of the community above everything else.
“He is a down-to-earth person, and leads a simple lifestyle. He created awareness on hygiene among the villagers and successfully eliminated open defecation in all the villages falling under his panchayat,” says a senior journalist in Vellore.
Viswanathan uses a bicycle to commute, even when he travels to nearby towns, where he is often invited to address students in schools and colleges on science topics.
Having been associated with Tamil Nadu Science Forum since last two decades, he has developed several low cost experiments for explaining scientific concepts like gravitational pull and capillary action.
“I make science interesting for the children. For example, to explain the distance of the sun from the earth, I tell that it would take a person 14,000 years to reach the sun if he or she walks 30 km daily,” says Viswanathan, who uses his skill as a service and not for profit.
He is a resource person for the State Institute of Rural Development in Chennai, the Regional Institute of Rural Development, and the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj in Hyderabad.
“I would have addressed at least 15,000 panchayat presidents in last ten years. I talk to them about the various government schemes that they can use to develop their villages,” he says.
As panchayat president, Viswanathan went around his panchayat every morning on his bicycle making announcements through his battery operated megaphone on issues like health and hygiene, and informing people about the government programmes they could benefit from.
“There are several government schemes for benefit of people. Most panchayat presidents are not aware of the schemes. We can accomplish great things with the funds allocated by different government agencies,” he says.

Viswanathan commutes on his bicycle to nearby towns, where he addresses school and college students

At his tiny two-room house in the village, the walls in the front room are covered with framed photos of him and his wife receiving various awards
His wife Chandrika does not speak much, but she says she is proud of her husband and is happy for what he has been doing for the community.
“My father had served in the army as a soldier. He was a kind hearted man. After his retirement, he always helped youngsters from our village find jobs.
“When we were living in Bangalore for some years, youth from our village used to stay in our house till they got jobs,” recalls Viswanathan, who admits that his dad had been a great influence on his life.
The family has three acres of agriculture land, where they cultivate paddy, ragi, and vegetables through organic farming. “It is my only source of income,” says Viswanathan, who gets a measly amount for his guest lectures at schools and government institutes.
He has a son, who has completed diploma in electrical and electronic engineering, and a daughter who has just passed higher secondary school.

This Article is part of the 'Unsung Heroes of Tamil Nadu' series

 SOURCE: http://www.theweekendleader.com/Heroism/2175/ideal-leader.html#sthash.TSB0IwW6.dpuf

Seed Diversity Festival & March against Monsanto on May 23rd, 3pm-8pm

Saturday May 23^rd 2015 will witness one of the biggest seed and organic food festivals in Chennai, to showcase the diversity of traditional agriculture, and as part of the international “March against Monsanto” on that day. Seed savers from across Tamil Nadu and neighbouring states will display native seeds of paddy, millets, vegetables etc. The event will highlight the importance of farmer's right to save their own seeds, and the damage to farm economics and biodiversity caused by corporate control of agriculture.
March against Monsanto takes place on May 23^rd in more than 500 cities around the world, and in Tamil Nadu there will be concurrent events in Tiruvarur, Madurai and also in Pondicherry. The Chennai Traditional seed festival will also take a stand against the corporate giant that seeks to control agriculture and propagate its genetically modified seeds. Genetically modified organisms (GMO) such as “Bt” seeds have caused severe distress to India's farmers due to indebtedness and crop failure.  GM seeds are also harmful to consumer's health and the environment.
Saturday's festival also showcases a range of organic and sustainable products from local initiatives. A traditional food stall with healthy soups, millet dishes and tasty herbal juices, will be complemented by red (mappilai samba) rice dosa and organic mango mania corner. Tula will feature organic Desi-cotton natural-dyed and handloom garments. Visitors can also watch live visual art on environmental themes, and get terrace garden tips and tools. Interaction with organic farmers will also be an attraction.
The festival will be attended by several well known intellectuals and personalities from the literary, arts and film world such as Gnani Sankaran, Justice Chandru, director Vetrimaaran & Vasanthabalan, actors Gautami, Rohini, Nasser, Charlie, Pasupathy and some others.
The event at Thakkar Baba Vidyalaya, off Venkat Narayanan Road, near Nandanam signal,  from 3 to 8 pm on Saturday, is free and open to the public.

 Organized by: Safe Food Alliance, an alliance of physicians, lawyers, traders, activists, farmers, consumers and academicians, who want to ensure safe and secure food to all; Organic Farmers Market (a collective initiative by a group of organic farming enthusiasts helping to take organic produce to middle class) and ASHA ( Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture)
(Tamil version & english version of the poster below...pl scroll)

Pl participate..Join the fun, enjoy and celebrate our traditional diversity..

in the process also some good tasty organic food, org mangoes, and meet our organic farmers..

NEWS: Seed conservators display rich yield at organic fest

DeccanChronicle...

SOURCE: http://epaper.deccanchronicle.com/articledetailpage.aspx?id=2862592

“Altered Genes, Twisted Truths” : A Challenge to Monsanto

By Colin Todhunter
Global Research, May 22, 2015
Url of this article: http://www.globalresearch.ca/altered-genes-twisted-truths-a-challenge-to-monsanto/5451148
monsantobook

In a challenge delivered to Monsanto’s headquarters on May 20, 2015, US public interest attorney Steven Druker calls on that corporation to find any inaccurate statements of fact in his new book:

Altered Genes, Twisted Truth – How the Venture to Genetically Engineer Our Food Has Subverted Science, Corrupted Government, and Systematically Deceived the Public.

The thoroughly documented and referenced book exposes the substantial risks of genetically engineered foods and the multiple misrepresentations that have enabled them to permeate world markets.

Druker asserts that if Monsanto cannot prove that his book is essentially erroneous, the world will have a right to regard these controversial foods as unacceptably risky – and to promptly ban them.

‘Altered Genes, Twisted Truth’ was released in March 2015 and is the result of more than 15 years of intensive research and investigation by Druker, who initiated a lawsuit against the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that forced it to divulge its files on GM foods.

The book indicates that the commercialisation of GM food in the US was based on a massive fraud. The FDA files revealed that GM foods first achieved commercialisation in 1992 but only because the FDA covered up the extensive warnings of its own scientists about their dangers, lied about the facts and then violated federal food safety law by permitting these foods to be marketed without having been proven safe through standard testing.

If the FDA had heeded its own experts’ advice and publicly acknowledged their warnings that GM foods entailed higher risks than their conventional counterparts, Druker says that the GM food venture would have imploded and never gained traction anywhere.

He also argues that that many well-placed scientists have repeatedly issued misleading statements about GM foods, and so have leading scientific institutions such as the US National Academy of Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the UK’s Royal Society.

Druker states that contrary to the claims of biotech advocates, humans have indeed been harmed by consuming the output of genetic engineering. He also explains that laboratory animals have also suffered from eating products of genetic engineering, and well-conducted tests with GM crops have yielded many troubling results, including intestinal abnormalities, liver disturbances, and impaired immune systems.

Druker says:

“Contrary to the assertions of its proponents, the massive enterprise to reconfigure the genetic core of the world’s food supply is not based on sound science but on the systematic subversion of science – and it would collapse if subjected to an open airing of the facts.”

Now, in his open letter dated 19 May, Druker challenges Monsanto’s Chief Technology Officer to:

“Face Up to the Extensive Evidence Demonstrating that Genetically Engineered Foods Entail Unacceptable Risks and Should Be Promptly Removed from the Market.”

Druker finishes his letter by saying:

“If by July 20th you and your allies have not been able to refute the essential factual accuracy of Altered Genes, Twisted Truth according to the terms set forth above, the world will have a right to assume that it is as sound as the experts who reviewed it have affirmed – and to conclude that GE foods are unacceptably risky and must be banned.

Access the letter in full here:

http://3dd.816.myftpupload.com/monsanto_challenge/

Copyright © 2015 Global Research

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Sustainable cow course

Sustainable cow course in Mumbai on 26th to 29th May may 9 am to 9pm ( Entry for only registered students )

Enthusiastic Gau Premi,

We are Organizing a workshop on Sustainable cow in Mumbai.Only registered students will be given entry , registration is free , Just sms us your name + email + Language Preference and we will revert you back with exact address of the course 2 days prior to the course dates.

Have a look at the details of the course as per below.

This course is not repetition of our previous topics but continuation of our Sustainable cow course Journey.

also send us a message on whats app with your name + email + language preference

Whole event will be Video recorded so those who will miss the course , they will get option to check it online after 2 or 3 months later

Thanks

Gajanand agarwal
+91 98 67 64 64 64
www.cowgrazing.com following the footsteps of Blue cowherd boy

LOW   COST   Cattle  MANAGEMENT FOR CLEAN  AND SUSTAINABLE  MILK PRODUCTION 32 topics (LANGUAGES ENGLISH & Hindi ) Dr.Yogi,s Workshop and Training in 4 sessions 1 SESSION INTERACTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS PAST EXPERIENCES OF TRAINEES. Milk-Complete food and importance in daily life. Dairy business-subsidary or main business and future challenges. Biogas a fuel.-success story with photos  6 Factors reducing milk production and SIMPLE measures to improve. Management of milking animals. 13 Factors affecting FAT/SNF in milk. And  CORRECTION MEASURES   to rectify. Importance of record keeping. Production cost of 1 Litre milk. action plan by the Trainees. Session 2 Revision Nutrition ?fodder, cakes and cattle feeds. Types of fodders and different alternatives.- photos and charts. Mineral mixture ?why and how, deficiencies and diseases., prevention and control.-   2charts and 10 photos Urea and silage Aflatoxin.-  2 photos Question and Answers,Exam , experiences,  action plan wby the Trainees. SESSION 3- Revision Assumptions- 6 Calf a Year-photos Factors affecting Breeding-    slides Correct service.(natural or Artificial)-graph Management Pre , during and Post calving -    3 photos Calf to cow Management.-  photos Importance of Genetics in future Income-2photos Diseases-Prevention and control-   photos Mastitis-Prevention and control-  6 photos Reasons for Failure of Antibiotics Ticks cycle -Prevention and control,Use of Laboratory.-   20 photos Question and Answers,Exam and experiences, and action plan by the Trainees. SESSION 4 Revision Is Milk a Complete food? Definition of milk ,natural milk and organic milk-    3 charts Veterinary AYURVEDA-    slides with 44 herbs Veterinary HOMEOPATHY-    slides Other incomes from cow as PANCHGAWYA PRODUCTS. 1)LOW COST ANIMAL MANAGEMENT 2)PASHU AYURWEDA , 3) PASHU HOMEOPATHY, 4)natural and ORGANIC MILK,, 5) REDUCING  LABOR IN CATTLE SHEDS, 6)REDUCING DISEASES OF CATTLE 7) BIOGASS 8) pOWER GENERATION FROM  animal DUNG 9) 16 HOUSE HOLD PRODUCTS FROM COW DUNG AND URINE  10) REDUCING PRODUCTION COST OF MILK  ETC Question and Answers, Exam , experiences, and action plan by the Trainees.

Visit Krisit for Self Sustainability with cows at: http://cowgrazing.cricket/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

 

“Monsanto, Out of China"

The Institute of Science in Society (ISIS) Report 21/05/15

By Chen-I-Wen

On May 25 2013, anti-Monsanto demonstrations took place in 436 cities in 52 countries. With slogans such as “Either mankind will stop Monsanto, or Monsanto will stop mankind,” demonstrators called for the public to be aware of the dangers posed by GMO food. On May 24, 2014, the planet again witnessed anti-Monsanto demonstrations that involved 4 million people. This year, the global anti-Monsanto march will take place on May 23.

Monsanto is a transnational agro-biotech company, widely known for producing GMO seeds. In 1996, the top three seed companies in the world – Monsanto, DuPont and Syngenta –already had 22 per cent of the global seed market. But by 2011, their combine share doubled, reaching 53.4 per cent. Monsanto alone had 26 per cent.  A monopoly by corporations like Monsanto threatens the seed sovereignty of all countries, including China’s.

Roundup is Monsanto’s flagship product, and is a glyphosate herbicide marketed globally, widely used on GM crops such as soybeans and corn. Monsanto has long propagated that glyphosate has a very low acute toxicity, and is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic risk to humans’. But in March 2015, the World Health Organization’s IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) had 17 experts from 11 countries produce an evaluation on glyphosate, and they pronounced it to be‘probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A)’.WHO’s IARC has a classification of four groups of carcinogens: Group 1, Carcinogenic to humans; Group 2A, Probably carcinogenic to humans; Group 2B, Possibly carcinogenic to humans; Group 3, Not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans; Group 4, Probably not carcinogenic to humans.

Chinese people cannot remain outside the global resistance against Monsanto. In 2014, Beijing citizens sued China’s Ministry of Agriculture, and they demanded to make publicthe animal test report submitted by Monsanto for securing the safety certificate for its Roundup, used to enter Chinese market. Early this year, the court notified the plaintiffs that Monsanto would be added as a party to the case. This case is attracting growing attention among the Chinese public.

According to a recent international report, Monsanto knew in 1981that its flagship product Roundup is carcinogenic. Chinese food safety activists think that Monsanto not only hid the information from the Chinese government and people, but also defrauded the Chinese government and people with fake reports in order to obtain a safety license. Covering up Roundup’s carcinogenicity and the risks posed to human health by Roundup-tolerant GM soybeans and corn, Monsanto misled China to massively import and produce its products. Now China is the largest producer and exporter of glyphosate in the world, including supplies exported to Monsanto for use in the manufacture of Roundup formulations worldwide.

Eighty per cent of the soybeans consumed in China are imported. In effect, they are Monsanto’s GM soybeans. The soybeans have been sprayed with glyphosate, which had caused serious ecologic devastation and health risks to South American producers. Recently, 30, 000 doctors and medical professionals in Argentina demanded that their government prohibit glyphosate. When GM soybeans are dumped on China, it seriously undermines China’s own traditional soybeans, particularly in China’s northeast. Moreover, the glyphosate residue poses incalculable risks to consumers’ health.

Continue reading here http://www.i-sis.org.uk/Monsanto_out_of_China.php

Or read other recent reports on the ISIS science website here http://www.i-sis.org.uk/index.php

ISIS website is now archived by the British Library as part of UK national documentary heritage