Balwinder Kang has a simple message for those who don’t think Indian farmers like him should be able to utilize the latest technology: come to my farm and judge for yourself.
“To all the people opposing this technology, I would welcome them to come stay with me, and for one crop cycle see how farmers live and see the difference technology makes,” Kang said.
Kang said that critics of biotechnology, be they government officials or activists who “have never been to a farm,” fail to realize how much of a positive impact genetically modified (GM) seeds can have on a farmer’s livelihood.
Kang, however, knows this firsthand. He has been farming full-time since 1984 and has seen a revolution when it comes to GMO cotton.
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Believing that at heart “every farmer is a gambler,” Kang decided to sign up to participate in Bt cotton trials. The difference was immediately apparent, although Kang remained skeptical.
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But when the improved results were repeated the next year, the gambler decided to try his hand with Bt cotton when it was released for commercial cultivation.
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“Some farmers were convinced, some were not. But the next year, when they saw my yield and the quality of the cotton, and saw that the costs were going down, most of them were convinced,” he said.
Read full, original post: Witnessing India’s GMO cotton revolution
