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Farmers concoct pesticides out of colas

One day in September this year, Rama Bhadraiah had a windfall. This small cola supplier in village Nadikude in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district sold 50 crates of nine bottles each. Elsewhere, in village Bhaisra in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district, Kishan Katlam -- a small farmer -- waxes eloquent about Pepsi. These examples could have warmed the cockles of the cola honchos, but they are in fact quite embarrassed. For, the upswing in Rama Bhadraiah's fortunes, or Kishan Katlam's encomiums to Pepsi, does not mean that people in rural Chhattisgarh and Andhra are gulping down more soft drinks. Farmers in these states have simply started using colas as pesticides.

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