The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Monsanto gives sops to seed growers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 20, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Others

Monsanto gives sops to seed growers

Special Correspondent

NANDYAL: Monsanto offered incentive to its seed growers for the second consecutive year for producing cottonseed without involving child labour. Collector M. Dana Kishore, Manufacturing Lead South and North Asia of Monsanto, Ravinder Reddy, and representatives of NGOs attended and disbursed an amount of Rs 1.4 crore to some 4,000 farmers at the rate of Rs 15 a kg over the contracted seed price at a function in Nandyal on Tuesday.

The incentive ranged up to Rs 50,000 each for scores of farmers. Mr. Ravinder Reddy said Monsanto was committed to completely eliminate child labour from its production chain. According to him, 87.5 per cent farmers complied with its norms and became eligible to receive the special incentive.

Motivation

He said the company could achieve this in a remote place with the cooperation of the seed growers and Bharati Seeds, which motivated them. Monsanto, which started with 300 acres three years ago, increased the size to 4,000 acres involving 3,800 farmers. Nandyal emerged as an important cottonseed manufacturing hub for Monsanto in the country.

Mr. Ravinder Reddy said the company would not stop by simply keeping the children away from farms but offer financial support to the creative learning centres. Also, the company offered an amount of Rs 25,000 for each of three villages which completely eliminated child labour from the Monsanto farms.

Productivity

Mr. Ravinder Reddy said the farmers who followed the crop management practices could enhance the seed productivity from 400 packets (450 gm each) to 750 packets this year.

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