Title: The World According to Monsanto
Writer: Marie Monique Robin
Translated from the French by George Holoch
Publisher: Tulika Books, New York, New Delhi 373 pages
This book traces the history of Monsanto as a chemical giant that was responsible for manufacturing “agent orange”, the most deadly chemical weapons used in the Vietnam War by USA. It was also responsible for manufacturing bovine growth hormone to increase the milk yield, but which end up spreading Mad Cow Disease across the developed nations.
Providing a testimony to the crimes committed by Monsanto, the book exposes how the company was able to fool the public, the governments and the scientists. Whoever questions the company strategy and approach is hounded out with vengeance. Many of the cases studied in the book reads like a James Bond plot. The book documents how Monsanto influenced political leaders from diverse backgrounds in USA and other countries, and reveals the extra ordinary global reach of this agro multinational.
The GMO (genetically modified organisms) story about the soybean, corn and bt cotton provides insight into the way Monsanto has been able to lie and get absolved despite bad science, poor yields and adverse impact on human health.
The book documents with chilling case studies of Latin America, especially in Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil, and the company was able to bulldoze the democracies and establish GMOs, especially Soya in more than fifty per cent of the agricultural fields by deceit and brazen unethical methods.
The book provides chilling case studies of Latin America, especially in Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil and how the company was able to bulldoze the democracies and establish GMOs.
These shocking experiences should serve as warning to all Indians, since Monsanto is desperate to get a stronghold in India. It has already made a killing in spreading Bt Cotton all over India, by denying farmers any choice in cotton seeds. Many policymakers, including scientists and ministers, have turned into agribusiness giant’s de-facto spokespersons, with no concern for the seed sovereignty of farming communities.
Influenced by their wrong policies, Indian farmers have taken to growing soy and corn on a large scale backed by state subsidies for seeds and chemical fertilizers. This will eventually pave entry for Monsanto to sell its GMO seeds. It’s another matter that farmers and media persons remain unaware of the deeper conspiracies around this issue.
This book is a useful for those who are keen to understand how large agri-corps carry on with their agenda to create monopoly over food production in the name of removing hunger and providing healthier food through ‘latest technologies’.
