Demolishing the myth that Monsanto drove Indian farmers to suicide

The following is an edited excerpt.

Last Friday,ย ย Vandana Shiva, Indian feminist, activist, and thinker and “author of many books” said:

In India…the collection of royalties from seed has led to Monsanto controlling 95 percent of the cottonseed supply, 95 percent through a monopoly, not through the choice of the farmers, as itโ€™s often made out to be. Farmers are getting indebted because the price of seed jumped 8,000 percent, and thereโ€™s no option…

Two hundred and seventy thousand Indian farmers have committed suicide since Monsanto entered the Indian seed market. Thatโ€™s more than a quarter-million. Itโ€™s a genocide.

The idea is that indebtedness to Monsanto is driving farmers to suicide–a scandal if true, and one with a claim to be called genocide.

But itย isn’tย true.

View the original article here:ย Demolishing the myth that Monsanto’s engineered crops drove 270,000 Indian farmers to suicide.

{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }}
{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }}
{{ options.labels.newReviewButton }}
{{ userData.canReview.message }}

Related Articles

Infographic: Global regulatory and health research agencies on whether glyphosate causes cancer

Infographic: Global regulatory and health research agencies on whether glyphosate causes cancer

Does glyphosateโ€”the world's most heavily-used herbicideโ€”pose serious harm to humans? Is it carcinogenic? Those issues are of both legal and ...

Most Popular

Screenshot-2026-06-05-at-2.12.30-PM
Some plants can poison you. So how did humans figure out what is safe to eat?
Credit: ACSH
Viewpoint: Who and whatโ€™s to blame for the surge in vaccine-preventable diseases?
Organic-Produce
Viewpoint: Why you should ignore organic food advocatesโ€™ advice to avoid โ€˜pesticide soakedโ€™ conventional fruits and vegetables
ChatGPT-Image-Jun-5-2026-01_17_48-PM
GLP-1 weight-loss drugs may reshape our desires and emotions
Screenshot-2026-06-05-at-11.12.44-AM
โ€˜Protecting religious liberty and parental authorityโ€™: Challenging expert guidance, Trump signs off on Kennedyโ€™s gutting of childhood vaccine schedule
Screenshot 2026-06-05 at 12.14
โ€˜Nicotine-free generationโ€™: Should the U.S. emulate Britain and ban all nicotine products, from cigarettes to vapes?
ChatGPT-Image-Mar-10-2026-01_39_01-PM
Viewpointโ€”โ€œMiracle moleculeโ€ debunked: Why acemannan supplements donโ€™t work
Screenshot 2026-05-26 at 10.15
Viewpoint: Double standardโ€”Why does the wellness industry get a free pass while Big Healthcare is treated as morally suspect?
Screenshot-2026-06-04-at-12.05.08-PM
Cases of brain inflammation surge as U.S. measles pandemic approaches 2000
ChatGPT-Image-Jun-4-2026-11_49_36-AM-2
โ€˜You donโ€™t understand Tolkienโ€™: Skeptic Pope trolls tech giants about the exaggerated, risk-less benefits of AI
ChatGPT-Image-May-26-2026-07_51_21-AM-2
Viewpoint: There are more than 1,000 chemicals in a cup of coffeeโ€”including many substances that can cause cancer. Why isnโ€™t it banned?
edb7f6d7-2370-418f-9578-74e29678e35c
Facts & Fallacies Podcast: Nicotine vapingโ€”public health miracle, or risk to children? Professor Cliff Douglas
glp menu logo outlined

Get news on human & agricultural genetics and biotechnology delivered to your inbox.