Coimbatore : Tamil Nadu Farmers’ Union Monday sought the State government to prevail upon the Centre to ban imported GM seeds, use of which was generating white pests which destroy coconut trees and inter-crops.

A group of farmers affiliated to the union arrived at the Collectorate by covering their mouths and also holding infested coconut leaves and submitted a petition on their demands, which include waiver of loans.

The union president, S Palanisamy said the farmers have lost the inter-crops like banana, lemon and tomato due to the pest attack despite applying the pest control chemical supplied by the Government.

The white pest attack has resulted in the loss of crores worth coconut trees and to compensate this, the loans taken by the farmers should be waived, he said.

The farmers claimed that the concerned department has observed that the pest generation was the result of cultivation of imported GM seeds in larger area, which was totally affecting the agriculure scenario in India.

The Centre should take steps to ban such imports to save the farmers, he said.