Shetkari Sanghatana, a farmers’ body in Maharashtra, said on Sunday it would sow seeds of genetically modified (GM) brinjal and cotton in a village in Akola district on Monday as a mark of protest against the government’s ban on GM crops.

Around 5,000 farmers under the aegis of the organisation are expected to gather in Akoli Jahangir village to plant the transgenic varieties, its State president Anil Ghanwat said.

The Shetkari Sanghatana is opposed to the ban on GM crops as they are beneficial to farmers, its spokesperson Lalit Bahale said.

“Genetically modified seeds are being used all over the world and we have seen that the costs are less, pest attacks are fewer and the yields are higher,” he added.