March 30, 2009

South African farmers suffered millions of dollars in lost income when 82,000 hectares of Monsanto GM corn failed to produce any seeds despite looking lush and healthy.

About 280 of the 1,000 farmers who planted the three varieties of Monsanto corn have reported extensive seedless corn problems.

Monsanto has offered compensation to farmers in the provinces of North West, Free State and Mpumalanga, which planted the three corn varieties, but blamed the failure on under fertilisation processes in the laboratory.

Marian Mayet, director of the Africa-centre for biosecurity in Johannesburg, has demanded an urgent government investigation and an immediate ban on all GM-foods, blaming the crop failure on Monsanto's GM technology.

Mayet said Monsanto was understating the problem, citing that some farms have suffered up to 80 percent crop failure.