Save Agriculture and Farmers : Open letter to CM Punjab on Corporate takeover of Agriculture in Punjab

KHETI VIRASAT MISSION
Kheti Khurak Azaadi Jatha
9 to 17 August 2011

Open letter to CM Punjab on Corporate takeover of Agriculture in Punjab

Shri Parkash Singh Badal,
Hon'ble Chief Minister,
Government of Punjab


Dear Sir,

Sub: Promotion of community level self-reliance in our farming - Scrapping of any partnerships with Monsanto, its associates and such corporations .


As Punjab has played one of the most vital and significance role in freedom struggle it is extremely important for people of Punjab to continue the same spirit to protect our precious freedom, national pride and sovereignty. It is our duty to protect to honor the sacrifices made by our freedom fighters. Sir our country is again under threat of neo-imperialism – food and agricultural colonialism.
Sir, On Quit India Day this year, thousands of Indians are awakening to the dangers related to increasing corporate takeover of our food and farming systems. This in turn is impoverishing our farmers, increasing their cost of cultivation, reducing choices for them, eroding their productive resources and enslaving them into a treadmill of dependence on external agencies, especially powerful agri-business corporations. The Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA) - an informal network of more than 400 organisations around the country, in its efforts to save our Food, Farmers and Freedom decided to focus on the most potent and obvious symbol of corporate aggression on our food and farming: Monsanto, the American agri-business MNC. This year, August 9th is being marked by hundreds of organisations and thousands of citizens as "Monsanto, Quit India Day” all over the country.
In Punjab ASHA Punjab chapter is organizing Kheti Khurak Azaadi Jatha - A caravan around the state to build a people’s movement to protect our food, farmers and freedom was announced by the organizers. Starting from Ludhiana, the Kheti Khuraak Azaadi Jatha would traverse around all districts of Punjab before ending on the 17th of August at Naamdhari Shaheedi Samarak at Malerkotla.

With regard to Monsanto in particular, you would be kindly aware of its long history of crimes against humanity, by its production and marketing of many toxic chemicals and other hazardous products. On its way to becoming the world's largest seed company, Monsanto used several strategies including deploying technology that reduces possibility of farmers re-using their seed, legal frameworks that prevent farmers and researchers free and open access to seed and aggressive, monopolistic market maneuvers that suppressed competition. Monsanto did not shy away from resorting to bribery for getting regulatory approvals. You might know that Monsanto had at one point reportedly stated its goal thus: "No food shall be grown that we do not own", reflecting its profiteering ambitions. This company has not hesitated to sue and jail farmers for the "crime" of saving and re-using seed from their crops and wanted to enforce its patents even in cases of genetic contamination clearly taking away from the affected farmer's rights! Monsanto and its associates have not hesitated to sue governments in this country in pursuit of their profits and markets.

In India too, Monsanto is consolidating its position and state governments appear to be insensitive to the need to uphold farmers' rights and seed sovereignty; they seem to be apathetic and insensitive to issues related to food safety and consumer choices and are in fact actually supporting expansion of Monsanto’s markets by investing taxpayers’

In this context, there are a few things that we would like to draw your kind attention towards:

While other states are charting out more sustainable pathways of development for their farmers based on lessons of disaster gleaned from Punjab and other such places, it is extremely unfortunate that our policy-makers in the state are unwilling to acknowledge or learn from our mistakes. While the agri-chemicals mistake continues, the danger of GM is being sought to be perpetrated now. For reasons that are either unscientific, ill-informed or vested, the Punjab government is not hesitating to take an anti-farmer and anti-Nature stand once again when it comes to GM crops. While other states are disallowing open air field trials of GM crops after taking a considered policy view on the matter, Punjab is reported to be in favor of such trials in the state! There is ample evidence to show that GM crops are hazardous in a variety of ways and particular products like Monsanto’s GM maize, allowed for field trials in the state, pose many health and environmental risks. It is high time that the Punjab government realized that field trials are trials essentially of untested products, with a technology that is living, irreversible and uncontrollable once it is released into the environment even in the name of trials. We demand that the government disallow all such trials in this state

Sir , We would like to strongly convey our views with regard to Monsanto in particular, the state government should be aware of its long history of crimes against humanity, by its production and marketing of many toxic chemicals and other hazardous products. On its way to becoming the world's largest seed company, Monsanto used several strategies including deploying technology that reduces possibility of farmers re-using their seed, legal frameworks that prevent farmers and researchers free and open access to seed and aggressive, monopolistic market maneuvers that suppressed competition. Monsanto did not shy away from resorting to bribery for getting regulatory approvals. Monsanto had at one point reportedly even stated its goal thus: ‘No food shall be grown that we do not own’, reflecting its profiteering ambitions. This company has not hesitated to sue and jail farmers for the ‘crime’ of saving and re-using seed from their crops and wanted to enforce its patents even in cases of genetic contamination clearly taking away from the affected farmer's rights! Monsanto and its associates have not hesitated to sue governments in this country in pursuit of their profits and markets. How is the government hoping that farmers would benefit from the expansion of this company, its products and markets? What happened to all the investments that went into the public sector research on maize all these years, if they cannot be reached to the farmers?”.

We urge you to cancel all agreements that the Punjab government has, with various corporations like Monsanto, Mahyco, Bayer etc., and disallow any GM crop research and trials in the state.


Sincerely,
Umendra Dutt
Executive Director