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Controversial US company under pressure in South America

Wednesday, 25 February 2015 9:35 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 25 February 2015 9:35 AM ]

Manoel Giffoni
Press TV, Buenos Aires

Monsanto, the US corporation which is deemed to be the world's most influential global agricultural conglomerate has come under heavy fire in Latin America for what experts have called the "Devastating Impacts" for the use of their poisonous agrochemicals and genetically modified seeds which are causing havoc in the lives of millions of farmers and spreading serious diseases across entire communities.

While the American company is accused of lobbying some regional governments with millionaire amounts to prevent them from passing key environmental regulations, some NGOs and political parties are now fighting a legal battle against the US giant and have started a campaign to stop its operations in the region.

Latin America is the world’s biggest producer of agricultural commodities and the market with the biggest potential growth in that field. Experts say that's the main reason behind Monsanto's determined efforts to expand its business in the region at any cost. It has already faced legal setbacks in Colombia and Chile and now, Argentine environmental organizations have obtained a favorable ruling from a Federal court.

Most of the agrochemicals that Monsanto markets in Latin America have already been banned by the European Union and the US. But corruption and lack of appropriate regulatory policies have turned South America into a breeding ground for the experiments of this US corporation which reaps unprecedented profits at the expense of the lives of millions of people

Latin American public health officers have reported thousands of cases of cancer, birth defects and other severe diseases linked to the use of Monsanto herbicides like glyphosate. After global protests and the decision of South American farmers to cut back their production using the Monsanto products, the US corporation saw its earning fall 34% last year.

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