Punjab rejects 'suicide seeds' but invites company for R&D
Significantly, seed multinationals like Novarits, AstraZeneca, Monsanto, Pioneer Hi-Bred, Rhone Poulenc and Du Pont have perfected technologies that were an improvement over "terminator". Agriculture states like Punjab and Haryana had criticised their attempts on the ground that these companies had introduced genetic traits that can turn on and off the reproductive capability of the plant with the help of an external chemical "inducer" mixed with the company's patented agro-chemicals. Such technologies would force the farmers to buy the seed afresh from the companies every year. In other words, "suicide seeds" would ensure profit security for the seed companies.
In a surprise development today, the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has asked the US-based Monsanto hybrid seed company to establish its research Centre to undertake extensive R&D for the production of high yielding hybrid seeds of the maize in the state.
A high level delegation of the company led by Vice President, Global Vegetables and Asia Commercial, Ms Consuelo E Madere had recently called on the Chief Minister here at his official residence. Sources told that Monsanto’s Director Branded Business and Corporate Affairs Gyanendra Shukla and Director Corporate Affairs Rajneesh
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