Affected farmers demand compensation from govt

Many of the farmers, who cultivated the controversial Bt Brinjal at a press conference Sunday demanded compensation from the government as they incurred massive losses.
The peasants claimed that they suffered unbearable losses by cultivating Bt Brinjal as all the plants died with the beginning of fruiting period although the government officials said it could be a profitable crop.
The demand came at 'the press conference on Bt Brinjal' organised by BARI (Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute) held at Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) in the city.
BARI officials said the press meet aimed at removing the misunderstanding on Bt Brinjal among the people following a press conference organised by eight environmental, business and consumers' right organisations on August 31 where seven farmers demanded compensation for their loss by cultivating Bt Brinjal.
BARI director general Rafiqul Islam Mondal and director (research) Dr Khaled Sultan, among others, spoke on the occasion.
Senior scientific officer of BARI Md Kamruzzaman presented a paper on Bt Brinjal and its development in Bangladesh.
However, sixteen Bt Brinjal farmers out of twenty were present on the BARI press conference.
Eleven farmers revealed that all the plants of their fields died within two to three months after plantation.
Two farmers, Md Afzal and Md Amzad Hossain from Pirganj in Rangpur and Iswardy in Pabna respectively, said they got good crops without using pesticide.