Thursday, 23 June 2011

Contradiction of the benefits? by Ain

In contrary to what I've researched on earlier, GM crops may not actually have the benefits stated from my previous post. An article released on January 2006 by Friends of the Earth International showed to be otherwise.

GM crops are said to be the solution of hunger and poverty, the crops can be grown in alrge quantities in a smaller time frame, thus being able to meet the world's demands. However, the article stated that GM crops are used for animal feeds and not for food. The GM crops grown at developing countries are meant for 'export cash crops', which means crops that are grown for profit, just for exportation. In an example shown in the article, in Argentina only 2% of the GM soy grown is for the local usage.

GM crops are thought to be environmentally friendly, due to the decreased usage of pesticides. However, Monsanto's Roundup Ready soybeans have caused  the increase of the usage of pesticides to 55 million kilogram.

GM crops are assumed to be cheaper as it is said to lower production costs. But it has been revealed that the GM crops are not cheaper, not better in quality and apparently, do not priovide any benefits to consumers. Only two modifications are grown commercially, which is herbicide tolerance and  insect resistance.

It was said that by growing GM crops, the farmers would gain mutiple profits and be able to own luxurious items, but, developing countries such as India and Indonesia, where GM crops are grown, have encountered problems with Monsanto's Gm crops, and are leaving the farmers with debts. However, Monsanto continues to introduce aggresive royalty initiatives in South America to gain more profits.


Reference:
http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefing_notes/monsanto_key_facts.pdf

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