Swatantra Bharat Party, the political wing of Shetkari Sanghatana, has in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for technological and economic reforms in agriculture. Anil Ghanwat, party president, wrote that despite admitting there was no scientific evidence to show GM crops were unsafe the government continues to block them in India. Ghanwat was a member of the Supreme Court-appointed committee on the recently withdrawn farm laws.
Ghanwat said the government must lift the moratorium on GM approvals by February 16, 2022, failing which the Shetkari Sanghatana and Swatantra Bharat Party would launch a ‘Feed India movement’ to highlight the failures of mandatory natural farming.
He expressed concern over the Prime Minister’s recent remarks on “freeing” India from chemical fertilizers and pesticides. “If that happens, millions will fall deeper into hunger and malnutrition,” said Ghanwat. He said farmers suspected that natural farming was being promoted to cut subsidies on fertilizers.
Ghanwat also wanted the farm law committee’s report to be made public.