The
link below talks of the fact that in the last ten years, Argentina has had
18million hectares, that is three times the surface area of Sri Lanka planted
with GM Soya Bean. This GM Soya seed has been produced so it is resistant to
Round Up the herbicide, we also use in Sri Lanka to kill all weeds including
Illuk.
Whilst
we do not have many wealthy farmers who have expropriated land from the poor
peasants, to grow their crops in a large scale we have a worse scenario, where
we have the pesticide use, the worst in South Asia with NO productivity to show
for it. In that sense we are much worse than Argentina.
I
was at the Cancer Hospital in Maharagama the other day for a Charity event
where there were 40+ famous local singers, singing on a stage for the benefit
of the inmates, who were wheeled down to watch and others who could not be
taken from their beds could only hear the music through their broadcast speaker
systems.
Here
we in Sri Lanka have also seen a huge rise in Childhood Cancers. I have
personally known of a child in Polonnaruwa who has died of it. So what are we
doing about it as a country? At least Argentina has had an export boom in Soya,
with highest growth rates in South America and has made many people wealthy and
provided billions to the economy. Our farming has not produced one farmer millionaire,
and instead made our farmers dependant on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, with
NO long term benefit to them to the country, or to other citizens.
The
sooner we take a look at what it is we wish to see, do and establish in Sri Lanka
as a national agricultural policy that is better able to provide nutrition to our
citizens, and reduce the incidence of illnesses cancers, and other chemical fallout
resulting diseases the better it is for the long term health of the nation.
There
is NO action by this government led by brainless, charlatans to counter the impending
doom. All the noise in the media which has completely mesmerized the ignorant and
impressionable citizens into a false sense of security MUST be challenged if we
are to stop in this track and take the right steps. It may hurt us for a few years
to get the poison out of our lands, as it takes 5 to 10 years of non use to clean
up the water supply and other contamination that is already at high levels.
The
short term price is worth the long term gain in eliminating the country from the
pests of the likes of Monsanto. Remember its most famous product, Round Up is used
extensively in Sri Lanka! To what damage?
