08/12/2026
Did you know?
250,000 Indian farmers have committed su***de
as a direct result of genetically engineered cotton!
Why? How could this happen?
In 1998, the World Bank’s policies forced India to open its seed sector to global agribusiness giants. As
a result, traditional farm-saved seeds have now been replaced with sterile, genetically engineered seeds
owned by Monsanto, which require repurchase each growing season. Though Monsanto claimed that their
seeds would bring down cultivation costs, a study by the New Delhi-based Research Foundation for Science,
Technology, and Ecology says the costs of raising cotton have actually increased nine times with the GE
seeds. This includes Monsanto’s $80 “technology fee” for every 2.6 acres of crops—a crippling expenditure
in a country with an average annual per capita income of only $450.
Depending on empty promises of high
yields and low costs from Monsanto, farmers turned to using the GE seeds, causing the conventional seed
to virtually disappear in just one season. Whereas conventional cotton crops depended only on rainfall and
cow dung for fertilizer, natural rainfall is often not enough for the GE crops, and farmers are forced to buy
expensive fertilizer and pesticides as well. This has led to poverty and severe indebtedness for the farmers,
often to moneylenders who charge exorbitant fees. One failed crop can put farmers into a downward debt
spiral with no hope of ever paying back their loans.
In a futile attempt to relieve themselves of debt, some farmers even resort to selling their own organs.
When these and other attempts fail to rectify their financial situations, many farmers commit su***de, often
by drinking the very pesticides they’re forced to use on their GE crops.
When MJFarm first reported on this
phenomenon in 2008, we were appalled to read that 25,000 farmers had committed su***de. But just
four years later, that figure has risen to a staggering 250,000!
In a nation where 60% of its 1.1 billion
population are directly or indirectly
reliant on agriculture, what some call
“GM Genocide” has been responsible for
a quarter of a million farmer su***des
over the past 16 years
(one su***de
every 30 minutes)
—the single largest wave of recorded
su***des in human history.