Farmers vulnerability History shows the precarious situation of small farmers when new crops fail. In 1998-99, there were more than 500 suicides among farmers in the Warrangal district of Andhra Pradesh when their hybrid cotton crops were devoured by insects that had become resistant to the pesticides they were using. Lured by the promises of grain companies, these farmers had abandoned sustainable methods in favour of the white gold cash crop. They borrowed heavily to purchase pricey chemicals needed to farm the hybrid cotton. When both nature and science failed them, many could see no way out.
Small farmers are often unaware of the risks of commercial farming.
With little or no capital, they are extremely vulnerable to fluctuations in market price, poor harvests and debt. The GE companies have control over essential farming inputs - and thus over the sovereignty of the farmers. Farmers who for centuries have relied on self-sufficient means may find that the rising cost of GE seeds and chemicals leaves them unable to support themselves. If they regret their decision to farm GE crops it may be hard to stop, as the new farming methods can degrade the soil and make it reliant on chemicals. Bollgard is the GE cotton crop at the centre of the recent legislation.