The world according to Monsanto : pollution, corruption, and

india: the seeds of suicide 297It should be noted in passing that not only Indian personalities fell forMonsanto’s line. A company press release on July 3, 2002, reported with obvioussatisfaction that a European delegation had gone on a tour of ChesterfieldVillage, the biotechnology research center in St. Louis. “The delegationof visitors represented government agencies, nongovernmental organizations,scientific institutions, farmers, consumers, and journalists from 12countries that are involved in biotechnology and food safety,” according tothe press release. 6“Do you think there was also some corruption?” I asked.“Well,” Shiva answered with a smile, searching for words, “I don’t have anyproof, but I can’t exclude it. Look at what happened in Indonesia.”On January 6, 2005, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission(SEC) launched a two-pronged proceeding against Monsanto, accused ofcorruption in Indonesia. According to the SEC, whose findings can be consultedon the Web, Monsanto representatives in Jakarta had paid estimatedbribes of $700,000 to 140 Indonesian government officials between 1997and 2002 for them to favor the introduction of Bt cotton into the country. 7They had, for example, offered $374,000 to the wife of a senior official inthe Agriculture Ministry for building a luxury house. These generous gifts, itwas claimed, had been covered by fake invoices for pesticides. In addition,in 2002, Monsanto’s Asian subsidiary was said to have paid $50,000 to a seniorofficial in the Environment Ministry for him to reverse a decree requiringan assessment of the environmental impact of Bt cotton before it wasmarketed. Far from denying these accusations, Monsanto signed an agreementwith the SEC in April 2005 providing for the payment of a $1.5 millionfine. “Monsanto accepts full responsibility for these improper activities,and we sincerely regret that people working on behalf of Monsanto engagedin such behavior.” 8The Dramatic Failure of Monsanto’s Transgenic CottonThe fact remains that on February 20, 2002, much to the chagrin of peasantand ecological organizations, India’s Genetic Engineering Approval Committeegave a green light to the cultivation of Bt cotton. Mahyco MonsantoBiotech pulled out all the stops: it hired a Bollywood star to promote GMOson television (which enjoys a large audience in India), while tens of thou-