India’s Farmers Want Access to Innovative Agriculture Technologies

Kunzima kakhulu ukumisa umbono olungileyo ukuba ungasasazeki.

Esi sesona sifundo siphambili sifunyenwe kwi ukufunyanwa Le ntwasahlobo iguqulwe ngokwemfuza isenziwa ngokungekho mthethweni eIndiya (imvume isalinde).

Inkxalabo kukuba nangona abalawuli bemiselwe phantse ishumi leminyaka elidlulileyo ukuba esi sityalo sikhuselekile ukusetyenziswa ngabantu, urhulumente waseIndiya akakasivumi isityalo sakhe sokuthengisa. Oku kuthetha ukuba amafama amaNdiya asilela ukufikelela kwisixhobo esibalulekileyo sezolimo. Ikwathetha ukuba ukukhula ngoluhlobo lwe-brinjal akukho semthethweni.

Ndifuna ukucaca ngento enye: Akukho mntu kufuneka aphule umthetho. Farmers who seek to remove India’s political ban on some of the world’s best GMO technologies should work through the political system rather than disregard our country’s rules.

Kulula kum ukuqonda ukuba kutheni amafama anokuya kubude obude bokusebenzisa esi sityalo siyakuthembisa.

I’m a strong believer in biotechnology. Although I’ve never used it on my farm in the Punjab state of India, Ndiqaphele izibonelelo zayo kumqhaphu we-Bt, Yazi ukhuseleko lwayo kwaye uyakholelwa ekubeni inokubakho kumafama nakubathengi.

Brinjal is one of India’s most important vegetables. Known in the United States and elsewhere as “eggplant,” it’s a staple of our diet. Some regard it as a poor man’s crop because low-income consumers rely on it. Others call it “King of the Vegetables” because it is a very good source of vitamins, iiminerali, kunye nezakha mzimba. Phantse yonke indiya itya ibrinjal, Nokuba injani ingeniso kunye nenqanaba lentlalontle.

Abalimi abaninzi abancinci nabancinci emabeleni bakhula benesakhono sokuzisebenzisa. Abo bayihlakulela indawo yokuphila bayabuxabisa ubunzima bayo kunye nokukwazi ukumelana nembalela.

Kodwa isityalo sisengozini kwizinambuzane ezininzi, ngakumbi i iziqhamo kunye nesiqhushumbisi (I-FSB). Izibungu zolu hlobo lwezinundu zidla kwi-brinjal. Ishiywe ingalawulwa, banokuwatshabalalisa amasimi amakhulu. Amafama azama ukulawula umonakalo ngokusetyenziswa kwezibulala-zinambuzane, kodwa ukusebenza kwezi zihlosi kunqongophele.

Ingxaki kukuba izibungu zimba nzulu kwiziqhamo, where the insecticides don’t reach. Ngenxa yale nto, many farmers overspray—increasing the costs of production and also exposing themselves to personal risk.

Kodwa itekhnoloji inikezela ngesona sisombululo sisemgangathweni: Bt brinjal, as it’s called, iqulethe amandla endalo ukwahlula i-FSB. The larvae simply won’t eat these plants. Esi sixhobo simangalisayo sokukhusela izilimo senza ukuba kube lula kakhulu kubalimi baseIndiya ukuhambisa imifuno ekhuselekileyo nesondlo.

Ngelishwa, abaphembeleli bokuchasene nesayensi basasaza ubuxoki malunga ne-GMOs kwaye amafama amaNdiya angavunyelwa ukuba awatyhale.

Siyayazi inyaniso, kunjalo. Our country’s scientists and regulators have given their stamp of approval to Bt brinjal. Ngaphezu koko, sijonge kumava welizwe lethu elingabamelwane, Bhangladeshi, apho amafama ayakonwabela ukufikelela.

“Farmers growing Bt brinjal in Bangladesh are seeing three times the production of other brinjal varieties, kwisiqingatha seendleko zemveliso, kwaye bafumana amaxabiso angcono kwimarike,” utsho uJahangir Hossain, osebenza nenkqubo yeYunivesithi yaseCornell enceda amancinci, Abalimi abangamahlwempu e-Bangladesh.

India’s Bt brinjal almost certainly was smuggled into the country from Bangladesh whose border adjoins our country.

This shouldn’t surprise us: India’s farmers simply want the same technology that is helping so many Bangladeshis farmers.

Ngokuqinisekileyo ndiyazi ukuba baziva njani. Although I don’t grow cotton on my farm, I’ve seen how Bt cotton has helped Indian agriculture. Lifikile ixesha lokuba sisebenzise utshintsho kwimfuzo kulimo lokutya, njengoko kwenziwe ngoku amanye amazwe amaninzi. I-Bt brinjal ngumgqatswa ocacileyo wentengiso.

We shouldn’t stop there. Ndikhulisa imbewu yesinaphi kwifama yam kwaye ndingakuvuyela ukumiliselwa kwembewu yemastadi, endizakuwamkela kwangoko. Ndingavumela ukuba ndikhule ngakumbi ukutya kumhlaba omncinci, ukunceda bonke ngokugcina amaxabiso abathengi ephantsi kwaye enceda indalo esingqongileyo.

Kwiminyaka eliqela, I have worn a yellow turban as a silent protest against India’s unjust and unscientific moratorium on GM food crops like GM mustard. Undincedile kakuhle njengesiqwenga sengxoxo, providing me with an opportunity to tell others about the advantages of 21st-century technology—and why India needs more of it in agriculture.

Ekugqibeleni, there’s only one way for Indian authorities to prevent the illegal cultivation of Bt brinjal: Yenze ibe semthethweni kwaye ivumele ukuvunywa kwale teknoloji ibalulekileyo ephuhliswe yinzululwazi zezolimo zaseIndiya.