Ludhiana, August 10: Punjab Agricultural University is solely responsible for the agrarian crisis in the state. This was expressed by well-known policy analyst and agriculture scientist Devender Sharma, who was in the city today to speak at a seminar organized by Bhartiya Kissan Union (BKU).

Sharma said, ‘No doubt PAU has helped usher in green revolution. For doing so, the top scientists of the university were given the coveted national and international awards. However now when we have a crisis, there is no scientist who is accountable for the failure.’’

Armed with arguments, Sharma said, ‘‘The scientists have long used the farmers for promoting the interests of the agri-business and pesticide lobby. Even today, PAU will hold seminar on Bt crops. But till date, the university has not held a single seminar or discussion on farmers’ suicides. The basic problem is that post green revolution, the scientists never went in for mid-term correction.’’

In this regard, Sharma cited the example of diversification. ‘‘We have been harping on this term since 1984, and till date we have not been able to see any benefit of diversification. Contract farming has failed in the state, and so has corporate farming. PAU has been blindly promoting the policies of the West. But the West has surplus food stocks, and they want to sell them in India. The best way is to ask India to stop growing food and replace it with cut flowers and strawberry, export these products, make dollars and then buy food from the West with the same dollars,’’ he stressed.

Coming down heavily on the bio-transgenic crops, Sharma said, ‘‘PAU has never raised its voice in the case of Bt crops. For Bt cotton, the university said that Punjab needs it the most, for our cotton crop had been failing year after year. But what about Bt brinjal. Are we short of brinjal too in Punjab? Has the university ever tried to study the impact of Bt crops in the state. They just do not have the will to do so. Thus it is time that the farmers take the matters in their own hands and force the university and government to toe their line. The farmers will have to stand up and say no to genetically modified crops, and the institutes will have to heed them,’’ asserted Sharma.