Click to play videoHarkishanpura (Punjab): Everybody in Harkishanpura village, located in southern Punjab, swears by BT cotton. But it was also this village that was put up for sale by its residents not too long ago when the crops had failed.
Five years ago in a meeting, the villagers decided to put up their village for sale, but now BT cotton seems to have revived their fortune and seems to have changed their lives.
And though the wheels of political fortune have swung the other way for Captain Amarinder Singh, the village located in the Malwa belt remains faithful to him and BT cotton.
"Situation is improving for BT cotton. Though it’s not a situation to repay loan but day-to-day needs are fulfilled," says a farmer.
But Harkishanpura is also the village where farmers, under severe debt, committed suicide over the past few months.
Therefore, many like Gurdawal Kaur – whose son Jeevan Singh was among the many who killed themselves - is skeptical about this newfound enthusiasm for BT cotton.
"The water is brackish and it does not matter to us if the crops are doing well,” says Kaur.
It's a fear that finds support from scientists.
“The problem with BT is that there is not enough genetic literacy in villages, as a result of which, they have no refuge. They grow old and therefore sow older varieties,” says scientist and member of National Commission of Farmers, M S Swaminathan.
So while as of now Harkishanpura seems to have come out of its "village for sale" times and everyone loves BT cotton, the question is how long will this run continue.
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