Gaon Ki Chaupal

water miracle

2011-09-26T11:21:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hmkgn0nBgk&sns=fb

Kargil War Actual Footage Quotes of Capt Vikram Batra

2011-07-31T04:58:00.000-07:00

Param Veer Vikram Batra

2011-07-31T04:56:00.000-07:00

Interview with Dr. Sandeep Pandey - a social activist.

2011-07-31T04:54:00.000-07:00

Hindi - Rajendra Singhji talks on working together to protect India's ri...

2011-07-31T04:53:00.000-07:00

Late 20th Century Folk Tale-Part-2

2011-07-31T04:49:00.000-07:00

Late20thCenturyFolkTale1

2011-07-31T04:48:00.000-07:00

Late20thCenturyFolkTale1

2011-07-31T04:46:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rkslXYl8Fic#at=84

Indian Agrarian Crisis - P Sainath

2011-07-30T14:20:00.000-07:00

http://agrariancrisis.in/2011/06/29/excerpts-of-p-sainaths-speech-on-farmer-suicides-in-india-at-pondicherry-university-the-inquirer/
Excerpts of P Sainath’s speech On Farmer Suicides in India at Pondicherry University-The Inquirer

MILLET REVOLUTION Winning the battle against hunger, silently -Ramesh Menon - INDIA TOGETHER

2011-07-30T14:14:00.000-07:00

19 April 2010 - Be it poor soil conditions or underdeveloped areas in India where agriculture solely depended on the mercy of rain gods, millet cultivation was going on unhindered. Thanks to the Green Revolution in the 60s, despite the immense diversity of agricultural crops, rice and wheat became staple crops and the age-old farming tradition got uprooted even before the farmers realized the adverse consequences of adapting to water-intensive cultivation.

Fortunately, winds of change are blowing across Medak in Andhra Pradesh. Poor and marginal farmers are resurrecting the forgotten art of growing millets, bringing traditional recipes back into the kitchen, and most importantly, insuring themselves against hunger.

The beginning

About a decade ago, Edavulapalli village in Medak district of Andhra Pradesh was dotted with fallow strips and housed poverty-stricken families. But today, this countryside is lush green with millet cultivation. Farmers with small holdings have been doing wonders with their crops hitherto unheard of.

Graphic courtesy: Deccan Development Society.

The seeds of this silent revolution were sown 16 years ago by 32 women farmers who formed “Sangham” -- a self-help group. Slowly, with the help of Deccan Development Society (DDS), an NGO working with poor Dalits in this district, they ploughed the land, revived it with organic manure, and sowed the seeds. A few months later, they saw their fallow fields springing back to life all over again. Now, 52 villages in Medak boast grain banks where quality seeds are being preserved through traditional methods like using dried neem leaves to keep the insects away. Hitherto sidestepped by their male counterparts, women farmers are now steering the whole process and are back in charge of agriculture once again.

Grain banks

Says Lakshmama from Chilamamidi village: “we started Sangham with 32 women pooling in five rupees each. No one thought we could do such wonders with our land. Even during drought, none of us will be hungry as we now have good grain banks.”

Besides ensuring seeds for the future, Sangham also persuaded each farmer to give a small portion of the output to the grain bank so that it could be distributed among the poorest people. “We give millets from the grain bank to the very poor, destitute, and old people who cannot work,” says Swarupamma of Edavulapalli. “Our life has changed,” says a smiling Balamma, a Sangham member in Edavulapalli. “Men in our villages used to work as bonded labourers as they had taken loans from landlords. Now we grow millets, own livestock, our children go to school, and we even get to work in each other’s farms. Some of our children even have mobile phones.”

As she talks, proud men stand by appreciating the Sangham members -- the change agents.

Invasion of rice & wheat

Earlier, dry lands in the Deccan plateau had many varieties of agricultural crops growing under rain-fed conditions. This rich cultivated biodiversity helped the farmers deal with recurring droughts with ease. With millet cultivation, they minimized the risks and uncertainty. The soil fertility was also taken care of as they rotated their crops. Their farms were home to over 80 species of leafy greens, tubers, and roots. Many of them were rich in calcium, iron, carotene, vitamin C, riboflavin, and folic acid. The society had intelligently weaved these items into its food system. These crops grew at no extra cost and were a blessing for the poor, especially pregnant and nursing women and children.

“We started Sangham with 32 women pooling in five rupees each. No one thought we could do such wonders with our land. Even during drought, none of us will be hungry as we now have good grain banks.”

• The crops of truth
• Uncultivated foods and the poor

Many years ago, in areas like Zaheerabad in Andhra Pradesh, millet was the staple food as it was not possible to grow rice or wheat in this rain-fed area. But suddenly, rice invaded their kitchens. Everyone loved it. No one bothered about the fact that they had replaced nutritious millets with rice laden with carbohydrates.

Besides Green Revolution, the disappearance of millet cultivation can also be blamed on certain lopsided policy decisions. The government-run Public Distribution System gave out rice and wheat at subsidized rates to the poor. The dependence of farming communities on these staple crops grew as they did not have to toil hard in their fields to grow millets. Sorghum, little millet, pearl millet, finger millet, fox millet, and many others almost disappeared. Slowly, eating habits changed.

“Rice was a seductive grain. It was shining white and easy to cook. It could be had without lentils or vegetables. All it needed was a pinch of salt while cooking. But millet had to be cleaned, pounded at a flour mill, kneaded, and then rolled into rotis. When late Andhra chief minister N.T. Rama Rao gave out rice at just Rs 2 per kg, millet cultivation in over 100,000 hectares came to a halt. Farmers needed just Rs 50 a month to buy rice for the family and thought they need not farm anymore,” says P V Sateesh, Director of DDS.

In this turnaround, women were the hardest hit. In the past, they were the ones who controlled the family farming activity, saved the seeds for the next season, and took charge of the crop mix. Their assiduous hands put the farming waste to good use. As a result, their cattle got fodder and there was enough fencing material for the fields and straw for the thatched huts. But once rice and wheat cultivation became the focus, they lost their decision-making power.

But DDS, working in 70 villages with 5,000 women farmers from predominantly poor Dalit families, had other holistic ideas. It decided to empower the poor villagers by bringing them back to dry land farming to ensure food security as well as nutrition. They reintroduced millet cultivation by teaching farmers how to revive their fallow strips, catch the rain as it falls, sow good seeds, and build grain banks as an insurance against hunger. Most importantly, it showed them how millets could be turned into tasty recipes. Now, there are millet vadas, dosas, and pulav. Sateesh has even compiled a booklet of various delicacies.

A sustainable alternative

K Nimmaiah, Executive Director, People’s Action for Creative Education, Nalgonda, says: “The seeds available in the markets are of poor quality. Genetically engineered seeds are susceptible to pests and diseases. But our traditional seeds are very resistant and have therefore survived for hundreds of years. Hybridization of crops requires a lot of pesticides to survive. In the past 40 years, we have destroyed our soil with chemical fertilizers and pesticides. It killed the micro-bacterial elements in the soil that provided nutrients to the plant. The only way out is to revive traditional Indian agriculture.”

According to Sateesh, research done by DDS in Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh showed that if farmers grew cotton, they earned just about Rs 7,500 and half of it would be spent for production costs. If they grew millets instead, they earned Rs 15,000 an acre with no external costs.

Sateesh says millets should now be introduced in the PDS and other government schemes like the Integrated Child Development Scheme as it is more nutritious than rice or wheat. The young generation does not even know the taste of millets as it was grown by the poor and the marginalized in underdeveloped pockets. “It may be a good idea to dovetail the government’s employment programmes like NREGA to support millet cultivation.”

Millets can become a sustainable alternative if we consider the following factors:

• It grows in toughest conditions. Cultivating one kilo of rice, for instance, requires 1,300 mm of rain. Millets on the other hand, can survive with just 400 mm. In fact, pearl millet grows even on sandy soil, finger millet in saline soil, and barnyard millet in poor problematic soil that cannot support rice or other crops. As much as 28 per cent of the millet production in the world is grown on the Sahel soil in West Africa -- one of the poorest soils in the world that gets less than 500 mm of rainfall.

• It does not need loads of pesticides or fertilizers as farmers in Medak use bio-fertilizers like vermicompost. Most varieties like foxtail millet are pest-resistant. In fact, this variety is even used as an anti-pest agent for storing delicate pulses like green gram. For pest control, they use organic pesticides like ginger-garlic paste. “They are producing organic food. Poor farmers were the repertoire of ancient knowledge. But down the years, they got marginalized by market forces,” regrets Sateesh.

• Millet farming is holistic. Most millet fields are islands of biodiversity hosting 6-20 crops. Millet farmers in Medak, mostly women, allow weeds to grow in their fields as they use this “uncultivated crop” as fodder for livestock. Unlike farmers in mainland india, they allow over 150 varieties of weeds to co-exist with the main crops.

Insurance against hunger

Such mixed farming insures the farmers against the vagaries of nature. If one crop fails, they can fall back on other crops. Moreover, this method increases the nutrient content in the soil.

Despite the inherent advantages, millet cultivation has been on the decline in India. Between 1956-61, around 36.2 million hectares were under millet cultivation in India. It fell to 21.31 million hectares between 2001-06. In 1970, India produced 12,172 million tonnes of millets and in 2009, the output fell to 12,000 million tonnes. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of United Nations, India is the largest producer of millets in the world. But the rate of production is not as high as other cereals like rice and wheat. Still, India remains the highest consumer of millets -- 42 per cent of the global produce.

Says Sateesh: “It’s high time we truly democratized ourselves. We have to enable and empower communities. If we give resources and responsibilities to our farmers in over 5,00,000 villages, there will never be food security problems.” ⊕

Ramesh Menon
19 April 2010

Ramesh Menon is a freelance journalist based in New Delhi. He got the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism for an article he wrote for India Together on pesticide poisoning in Punjab.

Deccan Development Society
Pastapur Village
Zaheerabad mandal
Medak District
Andhra Pradesh 502 220
Tel: +91-8451-282271
Email: ddsrural AT sancharnet DOT in
www.ddsindia.com

http://www.indiatogether.org/2010/apr/agr-millets.htm

Farmers demand rejection of Seeds Bill 2010 - The Hindu

2011-07-30T14:10:00.000-07:00

Farmers demand rejection of Seeds Bill 2010

Special Correspondent

It shall provide
an opportunity
for multinational companies to monopolise

TIRUCHI: The Tiruchi district unit of the Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, affiliated to the Communist Party of India (CPI), has urged the State government to reject the Seeds Bill 2010 and the Tamil Agricultural Council Act 2009. In a representation to the district administration, the district secretary Ayilai Siva.Suriyan said that if the Seeds Bill 2010 were to be passed as law, farmers would be adversely affected as it would provide an opportunity for multinational companies to monopolise , production, distribution, and marketing of seeds in the country. Farmers dependent on traditional seeds, preserved by them, would be put at the mercy of MNCs engaged in the business. Already MNCs were dominating the market, except in paddy and wheat seeds. Farmers would not be able to claim any compensation from private companies, if the seeds fail or result in reduced yields.

The Seeds Bill 2010 had several anti-farmer provisions. The price of seeds, which are now being sold at affordable rates through the National Seeds Corporation, would go up steeply if the Bill were to be implemented, Mr.Suriyan feared. He also pointed out that various other States have also expressed their opposition to the Bill.

Mr.Suriyan also urged the government to repeal the Tamil Nadu Agricultural Council Act 2009, which he said was also “anti-farmer.”

http://www.hindu.com/2011/06/02/stories/2011060262790300.htm

Agriculture reforms will deepen the agrarian crisis. by - Devinder Sharma

2011-07-30T14:07:00.001-07:00

The news that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wants an annual agriculture survey from next year, similar to the pre-Budget Economic Survey, is perhaps aimed at kick-starting agricultural reforms. Agriculture had remained on the back burner ever since the Economic Reforms were unleashed in 1991, and has been literally crying for attention.

The Prime Minister's office, says a report in The Hindustan Times (Agriculture reform next on the menu? HT July 5, 2011) has called for an "analysis of policy issues, evaluation of schemes and their impact on farm economy." This is certainly a welcome step. But if what the Prime Minister told a select group of editors the other day is any indication, agriculture is in for still a worst crisis. Why I say so is because the word 'reform' only means more of privatisation. And privatisation in agriculture, especially for a country like India, would only acerbate the prevailing crisis by bringing in unsustainable technologies through inappropriate policy changes.

As per The Hindustan Times report: In case of retail, where a proposal to allow global chains to enter the Indian market is awaiting government decision, PM sought to push the case for allowing foreign investment arguing that it would help improve supply-chains and distribution of food supply. At the same time he tried to soothe swayed nerves of small traders who fear they might be out of business. "There is fear of small traders, but without breaking such institutional barriers, there is fear of food inflation. I am hoping we can make a beginning in these areas. These are some of the ideas that are uppermost in my mind," Singh said.

Although the Prime Minister did not mention the contentious term 'FDI in Retail' when he talked of allowing foreign investment to help improve supply chains thereby streamlining distribution of food supply, he actually implied that. I am aware that allowing FDI in Retail is uppermost in Prime Minister's mind and some news reports have indicated that an approval might come within a fortnight or so. As I have said earlier, that of course will be the beginning of the end of Indian agriculture.

Agriculture today is suffering from a terrible crisis resulting primarily from economic unviability and deepening unsustainablity. The tragedy of farm suicides and the growing economic distress is directly proportionate to the imposition of Green Revolution technology. It is true that farmers are burdened with mounting debt but what is not being realised is that the growing indebtedness is because farmers have been forced to buy technological inputs that have not only created the second-generation environmental impacts but also turned farming into a losing proposition.

From Green Revolution, India is fast moving towards what is popularly called Rainbow Revolution. All policies are being amended/designed to help facilitate the take over of small scale agriculture by corporates. Contract farming, future trading and FDI in food retail are some of the measures that can help agribusiness to take control over farming. And it is primarily to strengthen the control of agribusiness over agriculture that farmers are being pushed out of agriculture. The growing, often violent, conflicts over acquisition of land by the government on behalf of the companies only testifies the government's resolve to hand over agriculture to the industry.

Is this the way forward?

I don't think so. What India needs is a kind of agriculture that encourages production by the masses, and not for the masses. Displacing farmers, acquiring fertile land in the name of economic development, and allowing FDI in food retail are some measures that will destroy the very foundations of country's food security. Unfortunately, unlike corruption, the Supreme Court is not coming down heavily on the government's ineptness in handling agriculture. Somehow farming and agriculture has remained outside the thinking frame of the middle class. It is the least understood and the most exploited sector of the economy.

Reviving agriculture would therefore depend upon a right mix of public policies with appropriate action. Here is what I feel should be the approach to be adopted to truly reform agriculture:
http://devinder-sharma.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2011-01-01T00%3A00%3A00%2B05%3A30&updated-max=2012-01-01T00%3A00%3A00%2B05%3A30&max-results=50
Reviving Agriculture
http://www.indiatogether.org/2006/nov/dsh-revive.htm

Trickle for farmers in the Union Budget 2011-12 (Dr. krishan Bir Chaudhary)

2011-07-30T14:02:00.000-07:00

March 2011 - The Union finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee has once again tried to confuse the public by his jugglery of words in his Budget 2011-12 speech intending to project that the Government has doled out enough for the farmers and the rural poor. But the fact is the Budget is entirely oriented to boost the investment prospects in industry, infrastructure, capital market, services and housing sectors and has negligible positive impact for agriculture.

Agriculture has routine allocations like Rs 7,860 crore for Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, Rs 400 crore for Green Revolution in the eastern region, Rs 300 crore each for production of pulses, oil palm, peri-urban vegetables, coarse cereals, fodder and for the new National Mission for protein Supplements. These allocations are meager to serve the interests of 750 million farmers in 600,000 villages in the country.

However, a good thought has come to the Finance Minister. He has admitted that soil health has deteriorated due to excessive chemical agriculture and therefore the need to encourage organic farming. The government’s decision to deliver fertilizer subsidy directly to farmers is a welcome step. But the government has planned to deliver fertilizer subsidy only to farmers living below the poverty line. Fertiliser subsidy should be given to all farmers and the quantum of subsidy should be determined as per the land holding. The amount should be deposited in farmers’ bank accounts. All farmers need subsidy and there should not be any distinction as ceiling on land holdings is implemented throughout the country. Farmers should be free to use the subsidy in the way he likes either for chemical farming or for organic farming. If the government wishes to promote organic farming it should provide additional subsidy to cover the high cost of organic certification.

For 2011-12 there has been a massive Rs 20000 crore cut in major subsidies on fuel, fertilizer and food from what was spent in 2010-11 (Revised Estimate). The cut in food subsidy by Rs 27 crore exposes government’s sincerity toward ensuring food security. Government should give diesel subsidy directly to farmers. The reduction in fertilizer subsidy exposes the anti-farmer character of the government.

Instead of setting of setting up of Mega Food Parks the government should assist unemployed youths in rural areas to set up small agro- processing and value addition units, cold storage and warehousing in rural areas The Budget has not given any attention to tribal farmers and those in hilly areas. The Budget has not given the needed attention to irrigation.

More than 50 million sugar-cane growers and farmers affected by natural calamities will not be able to get the benefit of government’s 3% subvention on interest for crop loans. Sugar-cane is a 11 to 18 month crop and mills pay late to farmers and therefore farmers cannot repay bank loan in a year. The government should allow at least two year’s time for repayment of crop loans so that farmers can reap the benefit government’s interest subvention scheme.

As per the Statement of Revenue Foregone, total tax concessions were to the tune of over Rs 500,000 crore in 2010-11 with corporate tax exemptions amounting over Rs 88000 crore. If the government can dole out such huge benefits to corporate houses then why it is miser towards farmers. Government’s failure to provide adequate facility for primary healthcare and education at affordable rates in rural areas exposes the exposes government’s apathy for the poor.

http://www.kisankiawaaz.org/article_article_full_52.html

The policies are failed to solve the problems of farmers (Dr. krishan Bir Chaudhary)

2011-07-30T13:57:00.000-07:00

July 2011 - Agriculture as the major livelihood resource of our people and the mainstay of our economy has become an unrewarding and un-remunerative proposition. The Planning Commission is bent upon imposing the policies and technology that have no relevance to the ground reality of Indian agriculture. The Planning Commission and the Bureaucrats are misguiding the Govt. on so called advantages of policies. The right policies can put our country on the high pedestal of agricultural development.

Agricultural policies and research in India seems to have become totally incompatible to the needs of our agro-system or perhaps it has lost its goal and gone out of track. Well laid infrastructure, countrywide network of research centers and the enormous fund spent over agricultural research failed to achieve the desired goal. Major part of the funds earmarked for agricultural research is spent on establishment and very little on actual research.

They do no fit into our agro-system and have overlooked the needs of Indian agriculture, did not care to identify the real malady and suggest constructive and realistic remedial measures. The policies will make our agro-system captive at the mercy of the corporates for all time. The corporate agriculture model is not fit for our country. Their advocacy for launching a Second Green Revolution is deceitful as it is nothing but a conspiratorial ploy of making way for genetic engineering and G.M.O's whereas elsewhere in the world including even developed countries, these technologies are facing stiff public resistance on Bio-ethical grounds.

The agriculture policies should put on the right track .The country needs the Farmer Centric Agriculture Model and it should be based on NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT for the sustainable agriculture. The present policies and planning and research is fast moving towards a blind alley. The research, policy and planning has become a burden on the public exchequer. It has no perceived idea, understanding and appreciation of research priorities for a predominantly agricultural country like India. The functioning of the policy makers is the inherent weakness of its leadership and inefficient management.

The policy planners miserably failed to cater to the needs of Indian agriculture. It's a matter of competence & commitment and having innovative ideas as per the need of the farmers and must be fully committed towards perspective growth and development of agriculture in the country.

(Editorial : Kisan Ki Awaaz Magazine)

http://www.kisankiawaaz.org/article_article_full_56.html

Farmers groups continue to oppose India’s Seed Bill

2011-07-30T13:41:00.000-07:00

NEW DELHI (Commodity Online) : Many farmers organizations across India continued their campaign against the proposed seed bill by saying it will increase the domination of multi-national seed companies in the country and may force farmers to pay royalty on hybrid seeds.

Chief Minister of North Indian State of Bihar Nitish Kumar joined the core of protestors Friday and described the Bill as "dangerous" for millions of farmers in the country.

He said the bill in its present form would Lead to unrestricted commercialisation of seed varieties in the public domain, including those developed by the farmers.

The Forum For Biotechnology and Food Security said the bill, if passed by the Parliament, would nullify the traditional rights of farmers given by PVPFRA on seeds.

Farmers' outfits say the Bill neither proposes time-bound disposal of complaints nor a fast-track arbitration authority accessible to farmers.

Farmers fear that the provisional registration granted for transgenic varieties will facilitate the entry of untested seeds and genetically modified crops into the market through the backdoor.

Country’s Cabinet cleared the Bill last month. Sources said the government is keen to introduce the Bill this to the government, aims at regulating the quality of seeds for sale, import and export and to facilitate production and supply of good quality seeds

The draft of the proposed act shows objectionable leniency towards those selling fake and poor quality seeds.

The maximum punishment proposed in the act, one lakh rupees, is not a sufficient deterrent considering the fact that some of the branded seeds are sold at exorbitant price of Rs 60,000-100,000 / Kilo.

The bill also proposes to set up a central agency entitled for the registration of seeds. The bill also proposes to give certification rights to companies based abroad. Experts say in such a scenario any company will set up dummy certification agency and will certify their own seeds.

http://www.commodityonline.com/news/Farmers-groups-continue-to-oppose-Indias-Seed-Bill-39861-3-1.html

Farmer’s RTI query has Vadodara collectorate officials sweating - Indian Express

2011-07-30T13:29:00.000-07:00

Farmer’s RTI query has Vadodara collectorate officials sweating - Indian Express

Amended Bill is even worse, says farmer

2011-07-30T13:22:00.001-07:00

GARGI PARSAI

SHARE · PRINT · T+

‘Archaic Bill robbing us of land, livelihood; amended Bill even worse'

A brainstorming meeting on forthcoming Bills on land, food, seeds and pesticides was stunned into silence when two participating farmers hit out at the government for the manner in which they were being displaced from their fertile land to satisfy the needs of corporates.

“The archaic Land Acquisition Bill is being misused to displace farmers and take away their land and livelihood but the amended Bill that is coming is even worse,” said farmer Pritam Chaudhary from Saharanpur.

Responding strongly to the suggestion that India “must become self-sufficient in technology or be prepared to face side-effects of foreign technology in agri-food sector,” Mr. Chaudhary retorted that Indian farmers had produced so much grain that the government was unable to store it. “Given the opportunity, investment and technology the Indian farmer can easily meet the requirements of the people and even produce surplus for export. Instead of facilitating American businesses, the government should look at this aspect.”

Appealing to the government not to take away farmers' land, Basvaraj Tambake of the Karnataka Rajya Ryota Sangha said that land was the only resource in their hand.

Seeking measures to encourage production of alternate seeds and their supply, he wanted agriculture production to move away from chemicals and toxicity and become self-sufficient.

The dialogue, organised by the Council for Social Development (CSD) and Navdanya — a network of seed keepers and organic producers — focused on how the forthcoming legislation — the amended Land Acquisition Act, Food Security Bill, Seeds Bill, Pesticide Management Bill and Biotechnology Act of India — would affect the farmers' rights to land, life, livelihood, seeds and the food sovereignty of the country.

K.B. Saxena, Land Reforms Commissioner and Social Justice expert, pointed out how the proposed amendment to the Land Act did not provide for any consultation process with those whose land was acquired. The definition of “public purpose” was worse than in the 1894 Bill. There was uncertainty about compensation and its process and no guarantee for employment and lost livelihood for farmers. “Under no circumstances should the fertile land in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh be acquired as it will affect food security,” he said.

Anne Raja and Mira Shiva of the Right to Food Campaign pressed for a universal public distribution system and rejected cash transfers under the PDS.

Vandana Shiva of Navdanya said the proposed bills were a “fast forward” in the direction which had led to farmers' suicide, made agriculture unviable, dismantled the food security system and made India, “the capital of hunger.”

She said the Seeds Bill would deregulate the corporate seed market and regulate the farmers and that it was designed to create corporate seed monopolies.

Keywords: draft land acquisition bill, Jairam Ramesh, Rural Ministry, land grabbing, NAC

MNCs will dominate if Seeds Bill adopted: Farmers Associations

2011-07-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

MNCs will dominate if Seeds Bill adopted: Farmers Associations

Press Trust of India / New Delhi June 29, 2009, 14:35 IST

Several farmers associations, including the Bharat Krishak Samaj, have raised concerns over the Seeds Bill saying it would increase the domination of multi-national seed companies in India and may force farmers to pay royalty on hybrid seeds.

"The Indian farmers will lose their rights on using seeds of their choice and it would mainly promote interests of the multi-national firms," BKS Chairman Krishan Bir Chaudhary said.

The bill would serve the interests of firms producing genetically modified (GM) seeds in the country, he added, saying the bill may force farmers to pay royalty on hybrid seeds.

The government tabled the controversial Seeds Bill in the Rajya Sabha in December 2004 and later it was referred to the parliamentary standing committee on agriculture for review. The standing committee took about two years to review the Bill and had submitted its report in 2006.

The report is still pending with the government and is expected to be intoduced in the coming session of Parliament.

Chaudhary said the bill would also jeopardise the country's food security. "By continous use of hybrid seeds, the farmers would be gradually obliged to buy seeds from the MNCs," he warned. There is no traditional seed for cotton available in the market, he added.

However, supporting the Bill, a former Member of National Commission on Farmers, R B Singh, said it would check illegal selling of hybrid seeds, sold by private players with their own brand names but actually developed by state-owned companies.

"As per the bill, there is a provision to do DNA test of the seeds which will help identify the real developer," Singh noted.

Greenpeace (India) campaign manager Rajesh Krishna said, "The new bill will promote and facilitate the business of multi-national seed companies."

The real motive of the bill is not to provide quality seeds to the farmers. Instead it could result in scarcity of natural seeds, he said, adding that it would lead to a lot of litigation as multi-national seed firms can claim intellectual property rights to the seeds that farmers use.

On the litigation issue, Chaudhury added that as per the World Trade Organisation obligations, India had passed Plant Variety Protection and Farmers Rights Act (PVPFRA) under which interests of breeder and farmers have been protected.

The Forum For Biotechnology and Food Security said the bill, if passed by the Parliament, would nullify the traditional rights of farmers given by PVPFRA on seeds.

"It will also increase the domination of multi-national seed companies on the Indian seed market," Forum chief evender Devender Sharma said.

He added the government has by and large sidelined the recommendations of parliamentary standing committee.

Chaudhary said in India 'Bt gene' is being used in hybrid varieties, but in countries like China it has only been used to improve the natural seeds so that farmers are not dependent on private companies for hybrid seeds always.