Annai Nilam.( Mother Earth)

SMALL AND MARGINAL FARMERS CAN FEED THE WORLD / KleinbäuerInnen können die Welt ernähren

2012-01-15T21:46:00.011+05:30

S. Kannaiyan

Green Revolution is the term for the promotion of a corporate led and fossil fuel based capital intensive agriculture which was introduced in India in the 1960s to attain self-sufficiency in food production. The Green Revolution was introduced in two crops: wheat and rice. Another hidden objective of Green revolution was the United States’ attempt to control the politics of Asia by controlling the wheat and Rice. These two important grains are the main staple food of most Asian countries. International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) was established in Manila, Philippines, by Rockefeller and Ford Foundations to facilitate the American Agenda in the name of Green Revolution and its pretention to help countries to attain self-sufficiency by producing more. The green revolution facilitated by the government of India was promoted selected few varieties of rice and wheat and propagated the same. The result of the Green Revolution is that hundreds of thousands of different location specific high nutritional Rice and Wheat varieties disappeared and reduced to just 50 cross breed varieties. At the same time, India heavily subsidized Rice and Wheat through its Public Distribution System (PDS)[1]. Hundreds of thousands of different millets which are suitable for rain fed farming also disappeared without any state support.

India has been witnessing starvation and death of people during the last 3-4 decades, while the Food Corporations of India’s (FCI)[2] warehouses were overflowing with grains and 50% of the grains finished rotten by pests and rats. The Supreme Court of India has been intervening to ensure the right to food for children, pregnant mothers, aged, and poor[3].

The solution for hunger, starvation and food crisis is not lying in the corporations’ agricultural technologies and agribusiness models. In fact, the small and marginal peasants can feed themselves and feed the world. Agriculture based on biodiversity, self-reliance, and control over key resources like land, water, seeds and knowledge based on thousands of years of tradition will be the food sovereignty model for the world. Food sovereignty is self-respect coming from self-reliance. The world is mad and not learning any lessons from the greedy corporations and capitalism which is the root cause for the present day crisis. Instead, it is continuing to find solution to poverty and hunger through the ultra modern technologies like genetic engineering, as well as the exploitative and distructive corporate led trade in food and agriculture. People of the world should say a definite No to the corporatization of agriculture, land grabbing and free trade, and say Yes to food sovereignty.

[1] The Public Distribution System (PDS) makes available to consumers rationed quantities of basic products like rice, wheat, sugar, kerosene) at below market prices.

[2] http://fciweb.nic.in/

[3] http://www.righttofoodindia.org/index.html

German version of the article.

Translated by Sophie Schaffernicht.

KleinbäuerInnen können die Welt ernähren

S. Kannaiyan

Der Begriff “Grüne Revolution” steht für die Förderung einer - von Konzernen bestimmten und auf fossilen Brennstoffen basierenden - kapitalintensiven Landwirtschaft, welche in Indien in den 1960er Jahren verbreitet wurde, um eine Selbstversorgung mit Nahrungsmitteln zu ermöglichen.

Die Grüne Revolution wurde bei zwei Kulturpflanzen eingeführt: Weizen und Reis. Ein anderes – weniger offensichtliches - Motiv hinter der Grünen Revolution war der Versuch der USA die Politik Asiens zu kontrollieren, indem sie Weizen und Reis kontrollierten. Diese beiden wichtigen Getreidesorten zählen zu den wichtigsten Grundnahrungsmittel der meisten asiatischen Länder. Das „International Rice Research Institute“ (IRRI) wurde in Manila, Philippinen, von der Rockefeller und der Ford Stiftung eingerichtet, um die amerikanische Agenda im Namen der Grünen Revolution zu erleichtern: Es sollte den Ländern geholfen werden ihr Selbstversorgung durch eine erhöhte Produktion zu ermöglichen. Im Rahmen der Grünen Revolution, welche von Indiens Regierung propagiert wurde, wurden nur einige wenige Reis- und Weizensorten ausgewählt und gefördert. Das Ergebnis der Grünen Revolution ist, dass hunderttausende verschiedene standortspezifische Reis- und Getreidesorten mit hohen Nährwerten verschwunden sind und auf nur fünfzig Kreuzzüchtungen reduziert wurden. Zur gleichen Zeit, subventionierte Indien Reis und Weizen durch das „Public Distribution System“ (PDS).[1] Hunderttausende verschiedene Hirsesorten, die sich für die indische Landwirtschaft eignen würden, sind ebenfalls verschwunden, da es keine staatlichen Unterstützungen gab.

In den letzten dreißig bis vierzig Jahren wurde Indien Zeuge von Hunger und Tod von vielen Menschen, während die Lager der Nahrungsmittelkonzerne (Food Corporations of India)[2] mit Getreide überfüllt waren und 50% des Getreides durch Schädlinge und Ratten sogar faul wurde. Der Oberste Gerichtshof Indiens griff ein, um das Recht auf Nahrung für Kinder, Schwangere, alte und arme Menschen umsetzen zu können.[3]

Die Lösung für Hunger, Hungertote und die Lebensmittelkrise liegt nicht in den landwirtschaftlichen Technologien und den Agrobusiness-Modellen der Konzerne, denn KleinbäuerInnen und marginale BäuerInnen können sich selbst und die Welt ernähren. Landwirtschaft, die auf biologischer Vielfalt basiert, Selbständigkeit und Zugang zu wichtigen Ressourcen wie Land, Wasser, Saatgut und Wissen, welches auf über tausend Jahre alten Traditionen basiert, wird das Ernährungssouveränitäts-Modell für die Welt sein. Ernährungssouveränität ist Selbstrespekt, welcher aus Eigenständigkeit entsteht. Die Welt ist verrückt und zieht keine Lehren aus den Fehlern der gierigen Konzerne und des Kapitalismus, der die Ursache für die heutige Krise ist. Stattdessen wird weiterhin nach Lösungen für Armut und Hunger durch hochmoderne Technologien wie der Gentechnik und dem - durch Konzerne gesteuerten ausbeuterischen und zerstörerischen - Handel mit Nahrungsmitteln gesucht. Die Menschen der Welt sollten ein klares „Nein“ zur Korporatisierung der Landwirtschaft, dem Landraub und dem freien Handel aussprechen und „Ja“ zur Ernährungssouveränität sagen.

[1] Das “Public Distribution System” (PDS) macht KonsumentInnen gewisse Mengen an Grundnahrungsmitteln (Reis, Weizen, Zucker) unter den Marktpreisen verfügbar.

[2] http://fciweb.nic.in/

[3] http://www.righttofoodindia.org/index.html

On Turmeric farming and collapsed Market.

2012-01-05T09:00:00.002+05:30

Srilatha Menon spoke to me over phone about Turmeric farming and collapsed market.She has quoted my views,
Kannaiyan

Sreelatha Menon: Invoking the snake god

Turmeric growers caught between plummeting prices and an indifferent government

Sreelatha Menon / New Delhi January 01, 2012, 0:13 IST

The roots of turmeric spread through the earth like veins of gold, offering the growers the value for their sweat. But the year 2011 has not proven to be that lucky for the 15 lakh turmeric cultivators in the country like Devasikamani, who grows turmeric every year on his seven-acre land in Erode, Tamil Nadu. For, there has been a 40 per cent increase in production, say government officials, but the prices have plunged like never before.
Turmeric has seldom let down farmers. The cultivation is confined to a few districts in five states, accounting for 78 per cent of the global output. The imports from some African and Asian countries don’t pose much of a threat either.
Last year, the crop fetched an unprecedented Rs 18,000 per quintal, more than double the usual price. However, in 2011 it was a mere Rs 3,500 per quintal.
Devasikamani has stored his crop, over 140 quintals at home, waiting for the time the prices would improve. But not all could wait. Even he couldn’t for long. The desperation was showing. Now, farmers are pawning their produce with grasping commission agents for interest rates as high as 30 per cent, says S Kannaiyyan of the South Indian Coordination Committee of Farmers Movements. This helps them store and at the same time get credit. But they are also forced to sell at a low price offered by the agents, he says.
Ditto is the case for farmers in Erode, Coimbatore, Salem and Karur in Tamil Nadu. Outsiders don’t even store it in the Erode market. They just leave with the price they get, Kannaiyyan says.
The farmers are a few in numbers but the government has not been able to reach out to them. The Spices Board washes its hands off turmeric and ginger saying the state agriculture departments must intervene.
The Board admits it has a mandate for post-harvest activities, but it has no ‘schemes’, and hence won’t do anything.
"We have provided them turmeric boilers in the past. Now we are asking for new schemes for processing and product development under the next Five Year Plan,’’ says Spices Board Secretary Suresh Kumar.
As for the present crisis of low prices, Kumar says the Board could explore export possibilities in new markets. But that would mean a long wait.
Last month, Devashikamani and fellow farmers from Orissa, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh met at Sangli in Maharashtra to form a national turmeric growers association.
They want a say in the price of the commodity. They are meeting again in January to announce a new price based on MS Swaminathan's formula of cost of production and 50 per cent profit. Since there is no procurement or support price, the farmers have decided to take the matter in their hands.
The association says it has got an assurance from Minister of state for commerce and industry Jyotiradiya Scindia that imports would be banned. But Kannaiyyan fears the worst if the government doesn’t intervene. Turmeric growers may also follow the same path as the ginger growers in Wayanad where ten suicides have been reported in 2011, he says. The handful of districts that grow turmeric and the 15 lakh farmers need bank loans on their produce and also storage facilities. When farmer organisations recently met Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, they asked him to study the turmeric growers’ needs for godowns and processing units. Nothing happened so far, says Kannaiyyan.
While departments of spices and agriculture turn their back on ginger, cardamom and turmeric growers, the latter at least can invoke the snake gods… anantham, vasukeem, shesham, padmanabham, kambalam, shankapalam, dhartharashtram, takshakam, kaliyam…and hope that the food for the gods can't ever be enough. Nor their intervention.

CACP: Government's doll, not farmers hope

2011-10-29T22:10:00.003+05:30

S. Kannaiyan

Farmers leaders from across the country met in Delhi recently and discussed various issues related to agriculture. Leaders from Punjab said that the issue of minimum support price (MSP) to agriculture produces was to be discussed as the first subject. One key issues related to Minimum support price is to calculate scientifically the cost of production and a reasonable margin for the producing farmer. I would like to share my thoughts related to the pricing of agricultural produces in India.

Rice, wheat and sugarcane are the three only crops that can get the MSP. Wheat and rice are largely procured by the state and central governments for Public distribution system (PDS). Sugar factories are bound to buy sugarcane from the farmers at the rate announced by the central government and state governments. State governments announce state advisory prices (SAP) whereas the central government announces minimum support price. As for as other crops, MSP announced by the government is there only on the records. Institutions like National Federation of farmer’s cooperatives (NAFED) buy small quantity sometimes from the market at MSP price, but it is really not helping farmers to realize the MSP.

The Commission for Agricultural Cost and Prices (CACP) is a body that decides and recommends to the central government the MSP of some major crops. The functioning of CACP is always to satisfy the treasury of the government and not the farmers. Indeed, the CACP’s functioning is non transparent and autocratic, and farmers unions have no representation, nor are they consulted in fixing the MSP.

Farmers of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, along with other farmers, are thus demanding scientific prices for their produces. The CACP and the governments say that they announce MSP based on scientific calculations. The calculation of scientific price is not something impossible in this country. One should really go to the field and talk to the farmers and then it would be very easy to calculate. But it is unfortunate that government expects poor farmers to subsidize food and goods for the whole country. But the announcement of MSP always miss matches the real cost of production. For instance, DAP fertilizer price was Rs.525 a year back, and Rs.880 now. The minimum wages under National rural employment guarantee Act in Tamil Nadu was 80 rupees 2 years back and it is Rs.125 now. Invariably, all the input costs have been increased many folds while the market for the farmers is always unfavorable. For example, the price of turmeric per quintal was Rs. 19 000 to Rs.20 000 last year, and Rs. 4 000 now.

The government intervenes if there is a small change in the share market, but doesn’t care about the vast fluctuations which disfavor the farming community. Price of cotton has always been determined in favor of the textile industry. Government intervenes by allowing exports and imports in order to ensure cheap supply of cotton and yarn to the cotton industry. Similarly, pro-active market intervention by the central government on food grains and vegetables aims to provide low price for the consumers, not to ensure reasonable prices for the farmers. Moreover, none of the state agricultural universities and the central research institutions arrived at a reasonable cost of production of milk. Whenever farmer’s demands a little increase for milk price, state governments intervene to protect the interests of the consumers, so milk price is always under the government’s control. In other words, it is subsidized by the farmers. In the case of central government, it sometimes prefers to import milk powder and butter oil by waiving import tariffs. These milk products were already heavily subsidized in the production process and also enjoy export subsidies from their country of origin.

The crop failures are not compensated by appropriate National agriculture insurance for individual farmers. Lack of infrastructure facilities like rural godowns, post-harvest management facilities, some special needs of storage and credit for the produces is the factors compelling the farmers to sell off their produces at throw away prices at the time of harvest. Big corporations and supermarket chain companies buy produces at the time very low market prices and release them in the consumer market at very high price. Such companies have all the facilities of storage, processing, quality control, etc. Interestingly, 60% of the consumers are farmers themselves who are paying high prices on the market, which are not reaching their fellow farmer pockets, but to the companies and middlemen.

Farmers’ fight for prices is not for the announcement of MSP only. India is importing edible oil and pulses and also sometimes wheat, sugar, milk powder etc. Indian farmers are exposed to the international market and cheap imports of agricultural goods destroy domestic production and livelihood of rural people by distorting the price for the local produces. The Free Trade Agreements and India’s commitment in the World Trade Organization are the main reason for the price disadvantage for the farmers and trade advantage for the companies.

CACP is a doll of the government and not a hope for the farmers.

Celebrating Talaq

2011-09-09T21:35:00.002+05:30

S.Kannaiyan

I think it was in the year 2004 I visited my dear friend in Chennai who is a lawyer in the High court of Madras. The moment I reached her home in the evening my friend was waiting for my arrival to take me along with her for a party in Chennai. Two of her junior lawyers also were there with my friend and we all went to the party. I had no clue about the party and also not curious to know about it. We all reached a home of a Muslim family in Chennai where the party was organized.

It was one of the memorable dinners I ever had in my life time, different varieties of very delicious non vegetarian food was served. The family members were so nice with the guests and served the food with love. I was bit over eaten due to the taste and extra care of the people. I was wondering what the celebration was about but, still didn’t check with anyone.

My friend introduced me to her friend’s family and especially to Sabena, daughter of the family. Sabena is an educated and beautiful young lady of around 25 years old. Sabena had two small children .She was the happiest person in the party and presented expensive gifts to my friend and her junior lawyers. I became impatient and asked Sabena what was the function about? Sabena told me that she got divorce from her cruel husband after a stressful legal fight with help of my lawyer friend and celebrating Talaq

Ps.

Sabena is not the real name of the person.

'Food sovereignty means self reliance and self respect' | World Development Movement

2011-08-24T18:07:00.000+05:30

'Food sovereignty means self reliance and self respect' World Development Movement

Cabbage is nothing but, pesticide.

2011-04-15T13:21:00.006+05:30

Kannaiyan

Thalavady is a hilly region suited for cultivation of many different varieties of vegetables in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. One of the important crops grown in this region is cabbage. Let us see how cabbage is grown here.

Small and marginal farmers who have less than two hectares of land are cultivating cabbage. The seeds come from Monsanto and Syngenta. About, 180 grams of seeds are needed for an acre. Seeds are sold in 10 grams pockets and these cost around Rs.220/ (around 6 Euros/ 5 US dollars).

Each year cabbage is cultivated on about 3000 acres. The Department of agriculture in Tamil Nadu has no clue about this crop cultivation in Thalavady and no technical support is provided to the farmers. Then who is giving technical advice to farmers? The seed and pesticides dealers are the advisors to the farmers. I spoke to few pesticide dealers to find out what is happening.

10^th day.

Ten days after sowing, 200 ml of insecticide Hostathian 40 EC[i] from Bayer along with 250 grams of Acephate[ii] are sprayed for an acre. Hostathian has a broad spectrum and is a highly toxic insecticide.

Acephate is an organophosphate foliar insecticide of moderate persistence with residual systemic activity of about 10-15 days.

20^th day

Insecticide Success 480 sc[iii] from DOW Agro sciences 150 ml per acre.

According to DOW studies Success 480 sc ( Spinosad) is a kind of natural pesticide and does not contain high toxicity but, it is still harmful to environment. In this case, Spinosad is produced by fermentation of naturally occurring bacteria (Saccharpolyspora spinosa). There are no independent studies available to establish that this pesticide is safe.

35^th day

Fame 480 sc– 45 ml per acre. ( From Bayer )

This pesticide contains Flubendiamide 39.35% m/m sc. No studies are available

50^th day

Insecticide Proclaim from Syngenta[iv] 50 grams

Along with insecticide Pegaus 50 WP from Syngenta[v] 1750 grams.

Proclaim contains Emamectin Benzoate and produced by Syngenta. It is worth to note here that Syngenta’s own study says that certain crops should not be harvested for 8 weeks after application and live stocks should not be allowed to graze for 21 days. If this pesticide is sprayed on the 50^th day or after, cabbage could be harvested on the 85th day or within a week after. So, consumers can consume these active residues of Proclaim from Syngenta. This insecticide is also very dangerous to fish and other aquatic organisms.

Pegaus 50 WP is a very dangerous pesticide for the environment. Pegaus contains the hazardous components of diafenthiuron, poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), alpha-isotridecyl-omega-hydroxy-, formaldehyde . This is also very toxic to aquatic organisms, that may cause long-term adverse effects in the aquatic environment. It is also toxic and harmful in all other respects like contact to skin, swallowing and inhalation of the substance.

70^th day

Endosulphan 35 EC 500 ml[vi]

Profenophos 50 EC 500 ml

Both Endosulphon and Profenophos are very toxic pesticides which has dangerous effects on the environment and on human health. There is a strong campaign[vii] in India to ban Endosulphon.

85^th day

Cabbage is harvested on 85^th day or a within a week after 85^th day.

All the above pesticides are very poisonous and harmful to environment and living beings. I have mentioned only about the pesticides. Farmers are spraying and trenching fungicides during the rainy season too or when they find the symptoms of the diseases.

Indian Institute of Horticulture Research(IIHR), a government of India’s central research institute has done some research on cabbage cultivation and found out inexpensive and organic methods to control pests. But, who is going to transfer these technologies to the farm fields? Moreover, farmers spray more pesticides when there is a good price for cabbage. The dealers also will advise the farmers to use more dosages citing the good price in the market. Integrated pest management (IPM) does not exist in Thalavady. And this is also the case in the neibouring Karnataka state.

Roughly around eighty percent of the inputs costs are directly transferred to multinational corporations like Monsanto, Syngenta , Bayer etc. from the resource poor farmers’ pockets. They are always the gainers and not the farmers. Government should think of establishing the agro ecology practice and convert all the agriculture research towards farmers’ friendly and consumers friendly and ecologically sound practices.

It is really difficult to defeat these giant companies unless local resistance is built, at small farm level, by rejecting these harmful pesticides from the exploitive companies.

All Indian farmers are not educated and most of them are illiterates. The information in the label is available in English language only. So, it is difficult for the farmers to understand the contents and undertake precautions. Normally farmers use knapsack sprayers and power sprayers to spray pesticides without using any mask or special dress to protect themselves from the pesticides. Pesticides are handled by the farmers by hand without gloves and wash their hands by using soap or soil.

I have narrated how pesticides are sprayed on cabbage. Farmers themselves eat cabbage and sell it to the market to feed the world. Farmers handle pesticides without any precaution and spray without even a mask. They literally inhale pesticide and inviting ill health. Pesticide companies, largely MNCs are counting their profit and contributing damage to the environment and ill health to farmers and farm labourers. I know stop eating cabbage is not going to help the situation. Agro ecology practice at each farm level will be the only solution.

Until then, I have stopped eating cabbage, because, it is nothing but, pesticide.

[i] http://www.bayergroupindia.com/hostathion.html

[ii] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acephate

[iii] http://www.dowagro.com/ca/prod/success.htm, http://msdssearch.dow.com/PublishedLiteratureDAS/dh_0060/0901b80380060be0.pdf?filepath=ca/pdfs/noreg/010-20220.pdf&fromPage=GetDoc

[iv] http://www.syngenta.com/country/au/SiteCollectionDocuments/Labels/PROCLAIM%20INSECTICIDE%20Label.pdf

[v] http://www.syngenta.co.th/upload/products/Pegasus.pdf

[vi] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endosulfan

[vii] http://www.hindu.com/2011/04/04/stories/2011040459780100.htm

Will food come from Africa?

2011-02-21T19:09:00.006+05:30

Kannaiyan

A farmer’s leader told me few days ago that the hand full of landed farmers should stop cultivation, so that food price will go up and farmers will get price. He is a vice president in a farmers association in Tamil Nadu. Sometimes back his president also told me the same thing. I told them in reply that if there is a gap between production and supply, then the government would import food grain from other countries. They asked me, how long the import would solve the food security. This is how a landlord mind is thinking. Probably they might not know that MNCs (Multi National Companies) already bought millions of acres of lands in Africa to produce food.

Farmers who have big land holdings in Tamil Nadu are planting different trees. They dream to become millionaires after 15 or 20 years by harvesting these trees. Some of the farmers are cultivating trees with tie up arrangement with paper mills. Such farmers are converting fertile agriculture lands in to tree cultivation.

Turmeric gets good price in the market, it went up to Rs.18000/ per quintal last year. Thousands of farmers in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka cultivated turmeric. The price has come down to Rs.13, 000/ per quintal, but still it is a good price. Some of the farmers from the irrigation belt of Erode district have booked their brand new cars in the Maruthi Suzuki show room. By the time onion price was sky racketing two months back government banned export and allowed imports. But, now the purchase price of onion from farmers came down to Rs.4/ kg and the government stepped in after a lot of protest by farmers.

Until 20 years ago , government and the country were talking about self-sufficiency in food production. India became a food-importing country after the GATT agreement (Uruguay round) was signed and WTO came into existence. We import pulses, edible oil, sugar, milk powder etc. in a big way every year. There is no talk or debate to produce these important food items locally. The cheap imports of food items have killed local production and forced farmers to shift their crops.

Farmers’ movements have not linked up the bad impacts to the policy. Thousands of farmers in Tamil Nadu came to streets recently with their cows and demanded reasonable price for the milk production. These farmers’ leaders never spoke a word against the cheap milk powder (30 thousand tones) and butter oil (15 thousand tones) that was imported at a rate, which was less than that of Indian dairy cooperatives.

Landlord farmers think that they will get good prices for their food production if they stop food production and converting their lands into tree plantations. Small and marginal farmers who still produce food grains do not get remunerative price due to the government policy. But, the government instead of improving the nation’s food production opened imports.

More than 80 Indian MNCs (Multi National Companies) have bought millions of hectares of lands in African countries to produce food, not for Africa but for India. Karuthuri Global, a Bangalore based company has leased out more than 300 thousand hectares of fertile lands in Ethiopia and started cultivation.

Farmer’s leaders need to update their knowledge and connect the issues of the ground reality to the larger policy frameworks of the neoliberal world.

Don’t we need to worry for food security? Will food come from Africa?

Rahul Gandhi spoke for one Kalavathy but, who will speak for Maheswari?

2011-01-22T17:05:00.008+05:30

Kannaiyan

One morning in December, my neighbour informed me that a farmer had been trampled to death by elephants, in Madhahally, a short distance from my own Thalavady. On the edge of Sathyamangalam Reserve Forest, a home for tiger, elephant, wild boar, gaurs and deer, it is not uncommon for wild animals to stray into adjoining villages. Typically, farmers keep a look out for wild animals and warn others. However, twenty five year old Kumar was not so lucky, he was trampled to death by some elephants even as he stepped out of his thatched house. On his way to his maize field to guard it from wild animals, he did not notice in the darkness, some elephants standing just outside, he did not have a moment to alert the others or save himself.

Thousands of people gathered in Madhahally, and I was there as well. People were very upset and angry about the death of a young lad, and stood about debating how to prevent such incidents, decrying forest department officials who were lax in helping the farmers to drive the back wild elephants who strayed out of the Reserve Forest. A group of farmers were angry that no forest official had come to the spot, and refused to allow the police to take Kumar’s body. “It is the responsibility of the forest officials to protect us from wild animals” said a farmer. “Who will take care of his young wife and children,” wailed an elderly woman. I was finally able to convince the group to allow the police to take the body to Primary Health Centre for post-mortem. Finally a young forest official, Ashok came to Madhahally and in my presence gave a cheque of Rs. 25000 as accident relief to Kumar’s 23 year old wife, Maheswari. He confirmed that the Forest Department gave up to Rs. 150,000 as compensation to the family of a victim killed by a wild animal.

I visited Maheswari on January 21^st, just after Pongal, the annual harvest festival. Talking to her, I learnt that she had yet not received the balance compensation. Of the Rs. 25000 she got, she gave 10000 rupees to her maternal uncle to conduct the formalities and paper work. Her uncle had to go at primary health centre, police station, meet revenue department officials to get the death certificate and post-mortem certificate. She still required the “legal heir” certificate without which she could not make an application for the remaining compensation due from the Forest department.

Maheswari with her younger girl baby Shivamallugamma.

Talking to Maheswari, I understood that Kumar had recently bought plough-bullocks by getting loan from a self-help group of which he was a member. She showed me her bank pass-book and explained, “from the 25000 rupees, I repaid this SHG loan of 7000 and another 7000 rupees to my neighbour. My husband had borrowed as a short term loan for the maize crop. The rest gave to my uncle for the formalities. The maize crop has been destroyed by the straying animals as I was in no shape to save it”. Kumar’s pass book showed a loan balance of Rs.32, 200, and apart from this, Maheswari said they had borrowed 11,000 rupees by mortgaging her jewellery at the local Primary Agricultural Cooperative Credit Society, together with interest it amounted to nearly 50000 rupees. She said, that Kumar leased two acres of rain fed land from neighbour and cultivated maize. But, the crop too had been mostly been destroyed by straying wild boars and elephants after Kumar’s death.

I felt helpless, as I talked to the 23 year old Maheswari. With tears she could not control, holding her infant child in her arms, she said, “the elephants took the life of my dear husband, leaving me land less and homeless. I speak Kannada and know only a smattering of Tamil. I do not know the government offices. Who will speak for me? Who will help me to build my small children’s future?” No forest official or elected representative came to support Maheswari. She stands beside her thatched hut, with no idea how she will support herself.

As I say good bye, Maheswari pleads with me, “Anna, please come again. Will you ask the forest department to give me the remaining money so I can repay the loans?” Who will speak for the dead farmer’s wife, Maheswari. I drive back to my village, I could not help wondering how the young farmer’s widow, who had her whole life ahead would manage. Maheswari was just 23, had two little children, and like any village girl had no education or training. The compensation of Rs.150, 000 would not go very far, I thought to myself. Maheswari has no clue when she will get the legal heir certificate and how much money still she needs to complete the formalities….

Who is responsible for protecting farmers and their crops? Does the meagre compensation divest the government from its larger responsibility to the farming community? Can we expect farmers to save wild animals, when we have no policy to protect them and their families?

Maheswari With her two girl children

Shanthamallamma and Shivamallugamma.

With no one to help farmers to protect themselves and their crops from wild animals, farmers are virtually at the mercy of a parasitic bureaucracy and indifferent politicians…. Can throwing small money at people help to rebuild their lives? A thought crosses my mind, “Rahul Gandhi spoke for one Kalavathy, but who will speak for Maheswari?”

A Despair.

2011-01-05T19:42:00.000+05:30

This mail was in response to Mr.Ramanjaneyalu's mail" Wanted a Pay commission for farmers" in GM Free India. I would like to suggest the readers to read his mail in the following link.
http://agrariancrisis.in Kannaiyan

After GATT agreement was signed and WTO came in to existence, import of food grains , sugar, oilseeds etc have witnessed its increase. Farmers can not even be compared with the last cadre servant in government. We need a development model which should ensure a decent standard of life to all. Control over key resources of agriculture should remain with farming communities.
Failure of farmers movements to understand and address the key issues, feudal values of the landed farmers, opportunistic farmers leaders, arrogance of the educated intellectuals in the rural communities, etc are the reasons for this condition. I don’t know whether an income commission will bring income to farmers or not.
I came to farmer’s movement few years back as a full time activist. I found it no ordinary job .I stayed in Thamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam’s thatched office premises in Erode for about a year. Farmers rarely visited the office, but real estate brokers who buy and sell farmers land were visiting the office and using it as their contact place. I left the farmers association office and stay in my home.
WTO’s Dhoha round is stalled. Free Trade Agreements are being pushed aggressively. Farmers are not connecting anything to policies. Farmer’s leaders are talking the very old demands of MSP and market price to their lands etc. They are not even debating seed bill.
Policy makers and rulers want farmers should get out from farming. Farmers also doing the same thing.
This is not response to Ramoo’s mail. He has given me an opportunity to share my despair.

PS.
I have been associated with Thamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam( Farmer's Association of Tamil Nadu) since 2007 and represented the association in various National and International forums. Due to prolonged difference of opinion and unhealthy work environment within the association I have resigned from the framers association from today.I am still organising Thalavady Farmers Association and associated wit the South Indian Coordination Committee of Farmers Movements(SICCFM). I will continue to work for the causes of food sovereignty and for the rights of farming community which feeds the world.

EU - India FTA and its impacts on small and marginal farmers.

2010-12-06T19:25:00.002+05:30

This is my briefing on the impacts of EU- India FTA and its impacts on Small and marginal farmers in the Briefing meeting on EU-India FTA
with D. Raja, Member of Parliament, India &
Franziska Keller, Member of European Parliament
by the Forum against FTAs 13th November, 2010, Constitution Club, New Delhi.

Please click the link to see the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9MhUO8xR4w

The Indian government has signed, is set to sign or is negotiating close to 30 Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), including a few with developed countries like the European Union, the European Free Trade Association and Japan. The EU-India FTA, proposed to be signed by the end of this year, binds India into irreversible commitments in multiple areas like trade in agriculture, industrial goods and services, foreign investment regulations, intellectual property rights, and government purchases.

Many of these commitments go beyond the commitments taken by India in the World Trade Organisation, impose heavy obligations and have the ability to significantly restrict India's regulatory space. It has the ability to significantly impact livelihoods, incomes and other social and economic conditions, including access to food and health.

Further, such agreements are being signed in secrecy, without adequate consultation with stakeholders including farmers, indigenous communities, small industries and businesses, women's groups, food right groups, retailers and even with national parliaments or with state governments. Not only is this undemocratic, but it violates the Federal Structure of the Indian State.

In this context, the Forum against FTAs organised a briefing meeting to raise concerns and interact with Communist Party of India Member of Parliament, D. Raja and Green Party Member of the European Parliament,
Ms Franziska Keller. This is one of a series of 8 clips that give an account of the issues raised during the meeting.

Get in touch/get involved: forum.a.ftas@gmail.com

I tried my best to give an opportunity to Melissa .

2010-09-20T17:23:00.002+05:30

Printed from

Dragged to court, teens want to return to Netherlands

Jaya Menon, TNN, Aug 26, 2010, 12.25am IST

CHENNAI: Their reunion had caused quite a flutter in the rustic fishing hamlet near Kanyakumari. But on Wednesday, barely a week after their emotional home-coming, Dutch teenagers, Melissa, 19, and Miquel, 18, were produced before the Madurai bench of the Madras high court following a habeas corpus plea filed by an activist, seeking to help Melissa stay back with her family.

After 14 years, Melissa and her brother Miquel were reunited with their mother Deklaselvam on August 19. Accompanied by their mentors and a volunteer, they arrived in Kanyakumari via Thiruvananthapuram to a tearful welcome by their parents and five siblings. But the reunion turned rather traumatic for Melissa, who pleaded with the Dutch officials, who accompanied her, to permit her to remain a little longer than the scheduled 10 days with her family from whom she had been separated when she was barely five and given up for adoption in The Netherlands. However, when quizzed about her desire to remain in India, Melissa told the bench comprising Justice K Suguna and Justice S Palanivelu that she would like to return to the Netherlands and come back soon to visit her family.

Activists alleged that the teenagers had been intimidated' into agreeing to return to the seaside town of Middelburg in The Netherlands where they now live. The court, however, closed the case based on Melissa's statement that she was going back to The Netherlands on her own, said Madurai-based advocate D Geetha who filed the habeas corpus petition on behalf of S Kannaiyan, who is working for the Netherlands-based Against Child Trafficking.

In his habeas corpus petition, Kanniyan said the girl was being prevented from staying back with her family even for a day and pleaded for a direction to Kanyakumari DSP M Sakthivel and Pieter Verheul, the Dutch volunteer accompanying the teenagers, to produce Melissa in court. "After going through pain and agony throughout her childhood and seeing love and affection in her life after 14 years, she is entitled to enjoy it," he said. But, if Melissa wanted to extend her stay by a month or so, it was up to her to approach the appropriate authority, the court said and closed the case.

Immigration officials point out that since the teenagers were of Indian origin, they could apply for the OCI ( Overseas Citizen of India) card, enclosing their applications with birth certificates, voter IDs of the parents and their adoption documents, which would enable them to stay in India.

Melissa and Miquel were among a few hundred children who were put up for adoption by a Chennai-based agency, Malaysian Social Services, without the knowledge of their parents. Melissa and Miquel, who were five and four years old respectively, were given away in adoption to a Dutch couple who subsequently separated. The children were later placed in a government home in The Netherlands. The adoption racket was busted in 2005, but the case, now handled by the CBI, is yet to see a closure.

APPROFONDIMENTO SULL’INCONTRO CON KANNAYAN

2010-05-09T13:19:00.005+05:30

Marco is a social activist in Empoli. He is actively involved with INTIFADA social centre. He has written this piece about my visit to the social centre recently in Februry, 2010. I have already posted Angela's note on 2nd April.

Vale la pena spendere due parole su questi fenomeni di “mercato” in quanto questi stanno determinando brutalmente la crisi delle economie e delle popolazioni rurali su scala mondiale.

Questo meccanismo fa si che prezzi alla produzione tendano ad abbassarsi sui valori più bassi a livello mondiale, alla ricerca di un “prezzo unico mondiale ”, livellato sul minimo, cosa che pone fuori mercato gli agricoltori degli stati più ricchi, che non percepiscono più un reddito sufficiente a coprire i costi e slittano verso la dismissione della attività.

Nell'ambito dei paesi ricchi si crea quindi uno spazio di mercato di prodotti di prima necessità (grano, per esempio, che prima era soddisfatto dalle produzioni locali, anzi superato, in quanto eccedentarie) e che ora viene e ad essere occupato da prodotti di importazione a costi bassissimi (lo stesso meccanismo che vediamo nel settore tessile, ad esempio), il che alimenta ancora la crisi dei sistemi agricoli locali.

La progressiva uscita della produzione degli agricoltori “occidentali”, insieme con il loro cronico invecchiamento (degli occupati in agricoltura) e il mancato ricambio generazionale, permette alle grandi imprese transnazionali speculatrici di: 1) accaparrarsi le migliori terre e realtà produttive in dismissione e vendita nei paesi ricchi, essendo queste imprese le sole a poter disporre di soldi per investire 2) organizzare a bassissimo costo produzioni di prodotti alimentari di tradizionale consumo “occidentale”, da vendere ai consueti prezzi di mercato in Occidente, produzioni realizzate però nelle campagne espropriate dei paesi poveri (India , Africa, Cile, Argentina, Cina) o dei paesi ad agricoltura estensiva (Canada, Argentina) , dove in maniera diversificata ma sotto una unica regia procede da tempo l'acquisizione più o meno forzata delle terre produttive e l'espulsione degli agricoltori dalle terre fertili e finanche dai territori rurali (fenomeno di urbanizzazione forzata).

Si realizza così contemporanemente la distruzione dei sistemi agricoli tradizionali (agricoltura di sussistenza) e la loro sostituzione con quelli di tipo estensivo e neo-latifondista, spesso bio-tech (ogm), sistemi sdoganati a livello locale nazionale dalle istituzioni scientifiche asservite e prezzolate dalle ditte multinazionali del settore. A queste inoltre, sempre in cambio della loro disponibilità a produrre investimenti in loco, viene consegnato in maniera assoluta il controllo del sistema dei prezzi al ritiro e la gestione dei costi dei mezzi di produzione, per cui il più delle volte i contadini si ritrovano a essere gravemente indebitati con i fornitori delle materie prime piuttosto che a percepire un reddito capace di sostenere le proprie famiglie.

Ma se è vero che questi fenomeni ci sono tutto sommato abbastanza noti, la novità del contributo di Kannayan e quindi del Movimento Antiglobalizzazione Indiano sta nel fatto aver denunciato che questo tipo di processo di distruzione dei sistemi e mercati agricoli locali, praticato con l'azzeramento dei prezzi al produttore e l'aumento vertiginoso invece delle materie prime necessarie alla produzioni (sementi, fertilizzanti, affitti dei terreni quando non direttamente l'esproprio delle terre ai contadini), realizza nei paesi del terzo e quarto mondo il medesimo processo di dismissione della attività agricola e fuga dalle campagne, e con questo la sostituzione dei fabbisogni alimentari “locali” con produzioni di importazione transnazionale sulle quali applicare fortissimi operazioni speculative.

La rinuncia alle politiche autonome sostenibili di Sviluppo nel settore agroalimentare (Sovranità Alimentare, sopra a tutte), permette lo smantellamento deliberato dei settori alimentari locali di prima necessità (cereali, latte, olio) e la loro sostituzione con prodotti di importazione da paesi terzi (poveri o ricchi) dove il costo risulta ancora più basso (vuoi per produzioni eccedentarie dovute alla coltivazione super-estensiva della monocoltura): questo può spiegare meglio le parole di Kannayan in merito alla crisi Indiana del grano indiano in favore di quello Australiano o del riso delle Filippine, o quella del latte Indiano in favore del latte in polvere eccedentario europeo e nord- americano, o la crisi delle produzioni dell'olio di cartamo indiano in favore dell'olio di palma, di produzione Indonesiana, di pessimo valore alimentare, o ancora la crisi della coltivazione della canna da zucchero indiana in favore delle importazioni dal Brasile.

Si vede così che lo stesso meccanismo di imposizione forzata di un regime di crisi a differenti realtà produttive, sia di agricoltura industriale che di agricoltura di sussistenza, favorendo la dismissione della attività agricola e la fuoriuscita delle popolazioni dai territori rurali, è in grado di produrre enormi profitti alle ditte transnazionali e ai loro agenti locali (governi, istituzioni scientifiche, istituti finanziari, apparati repressivi).

We are for System Change, not Climate cahange.

2010-04-02T19:38:00.008+05:30

Angela, a young environmental activist and university student has written this piece and posted in Facebook. She has written this in Italiano.I am posting this as it is in Italiano.
URL: http://www.facebook.com/kannaiyan?ref=profile#!/note.php?note_id=380520552206
English version of the article is also published here.
Kannaiyan

Questo febbraio Subramaniam Kannayan è venuto a trovare la Comunità in Resistenza Intifada di Ponte a Elsa. Kannayan è un’attivista indiano del movimento degli agricoltori del Tamil Nadu ed ha partecipato alle proteste a Ginevra contro il WTO e a Copenhagen contro il Cop15.
È stata un’occasione per tornare a riflettere su importanti temi socio-polico-economico-ambientali.
L’attivista indiano ci ha raccontato le conseguenze in India dei Negoziati di Libero Commercio del WTO (Doha Round), relativi al settore agricolo, negoziati che progressivamente hanno messo in pratica gli enunciati della Globalizzazione, smantellando il sistema dei Mercati Continentali (versioni su scala mondiale riconducibili in qualche modo al nostro Mercato Unico Europeo) con l'abolizione delle tasse doganali (o quanto meno la riduzione a minimi termini di queste ed allo stesso tempo un intervento analogo sui sussidi agli agricoltori, laddove questi esistevano)tra i paesi che lo stipulavano. Questo trattato permette a merci prodotte da multinazionali di paesi industrializzati di essere vendute a prezzi molto bassi in paesi in via di sviluppo. In India, per esempio, viene venduto grano proveniente dall’Australia, zucchero dal Brasile e latte dall’Europa.
I contadini indiani, privi dei sussidi dello Stato e detentori di tecnologie arretrate, contrariamente alle multinazionali, si trovano obbligati a vendere i loro prodotti a prezzi molto bassi. Tutto ciò non gli permette di competere con i prodotti industriali e questo meccanismo finisce per tagliarli drammaticamente fuori dal mercato. Considerando che il 70% della popolazione indiana lavora nell’agricoltura e nel piccolo allevamento, vivendo e sostenendo le proprie famiglie solo con queste,non c’è da stupirsi se i casi di suicidio di contadini crescono vertiginosamente di anno in anno nel suo paese. La terra è un mezzo di sostentamento per coloro che la coltivano, mentre questo meccanismo insano di esportazione di prodotti a basso costo e scarsa qualità permette solo di continuare ad arricchire chi già è ricco e potente, andando anche gravemente a discapito della salute ambientale a causa dei lunghi trasporti che le merci percorrono.
Un altro argomento affrontato è stato quello degli OGM. Kannayan sostiene :<<>>.
Per comprendere questa frase e quanto sia elevato l’interesse delle multinazionali alla diffusione di prodotti OGM, potrebbe bastare sapere che le grandi aziende americane pagano importanti sussidi alle università Indiane per la ricerca sugli organismi geneticamente modificati. Ma non finisce qui. Un seme manipolato in laboratorio, per le sue caratteristiche chimico-molecolari, ha bisogno di un certo tipo di fertilizzante, commercializzato solo dalle multinazionali stesse. Infine una pianta che nascerà da un seme OGM avrà semi incapaci di mettere in atto i meccanismi naturali per la propria riproduzione. Ciò costringe l’agricoltore di prodotti OGM a dover ricomprare ogni anno i semi , creando un meccanismo di dipendenza totalmente a favore delle multinazionali.
Oltre agli importanti interessi economici che ruotano intorno all’uso di OGM, è infine fondamentale considerare che una scelta del genere porta alla perdita della naturale biodiversità dei semi, poichè ogni seme porta in sé la storia del luogo in cui si è evoluta la generazione di piante che lo ha prodotto. Kannayan ci ha ricordato che, se mentre prima in India esistevano oltre 100 varietà di riso, oggi ne esistono solo un 20ina.
L’attivista chiede retoricamente <>
In ultima istanza il nostro amico attivista ci ha permesso di riflettere sulla mancanza di senso che oggi ha l’allevamento industriale di animali a scopo alimentare. È stata una riflessione che al vertice del problema ha messo in evidenza l’immenso sperpero di beni come Terra ed Acqua, utilizzate per coltivare il cibo per il bestiame stesso o presunti biocombustibili (invece di pensare ad energia rinnovabile). L’industrializzazione della carne sta privando il mondo intero di importanti risorse naturali e in cambio fornisce altrettanto importanti prodotti inquinanti, provenienti dalle industrie di allevamento, di macellazione e di trasporti, senza parlare delle scarsa salubrità del prodotto in sé. La posizione ferma di Kannayan è che il cibo coltivato dagli uomini non può essere destinato a sfamare gli animali dei grandi allevamenti, ma deve essere usato per sfamare per gli esseri umani. La coltivazione della terra deve servire per il sostentamento della vita delle persone.
Dal nostro incontro con Subramaniam Kannayan non sono emerse solo denuncie ma anche possibilità alternative che ognuno di noi dovrebbe prendere in considerazione ed abbracciare come proprie. L’attivista insegna : <>. Dobbiamo abbandonare questo modello di capitalismo che si sviluppa promuovendo un consumo sempre più insaziabile, tanto da portare inevitabilmente alla privatizzazione di beni collettivi. Un esempio tra i più eclatanti e recenti in Italia è l’acqua, o il trasporto pubblico, l’istruzione e la sanità.
Dobbiamo sostenere le attività agricole locali e boicottare i prodotti delle compagnie multinazionali, già smodatamente ricche. Il commercio dovrebbe sostenere produttori e consumatori, promuovendo un’attività di scambio diretta tra persone dello stesso territorio, mentre al momento, sotto la logica delle multinazionali, sta dissanguando entrambi. Kannayan sostiene che: <<>>. Dobbiamo abbandonare la convinzione che siano “le cose” a renderci felici e lavorare su noi stessi, unici esseri da cui scaturisce il nostro benessere, con cose semplici e quasi sempre non materiali.

English version of the article

Last February Kannayan Subramaniam has visited the Comunita' in Resistenza Intifada in Ponte a Elsa (Florence, Italy). Kannayan is an activist of the Indian Farmers Movement of Tamil Nadu and had participated in protests against the WTO in Geneva and against the COP15 in Copenhagen. It was an opportunity to return to reflect on important socio-economic-environmental-Police issues.

The Indian activist told us about the consequences in India of the Free Trade Negotiations in the WTO (Doha Round), relating to agriculture. These negotiations have gradually put into practice the tenets of globalization by dismantling the system of Continental Markets versions on the world scale related in some way to our European Market with the abolition of customs duties (or at least the reduction of these into minimum terms and at the same time a similar operation on farm subsidies, where these exist) between the countries that stipulated them. This treaty allows at goods produced by multinationals in industrialized countries to be sold at very low prices in developing countries. In India, for example, there is the sale of wheat from Australia, sugar from Brazil, and milk from Europe.

The Indian peasants, deprived of state subsidies and holders of backward technologies, unlike corporations, are forced to sell their products at very low prices. All this does not allow them to compete with industrial products, and this mechanism ends up dramatically cutting them out of the market. Considering that 70% of India's population works in agriculture and small scale farming, living and supporting their families by those activities alone, it's no wonder that cases of suicide by farmers grow dramatically from year to year in this country. The land is a means of livelihood for those who cultivate it, and that this system of export of unhealthy products with low cost and poor quality can only continue to enrich those already rich and powerful. And last but not least, the export is so badly at the expense of environmental health, due to the long transport distances involved.

Another topic addressed was that of GMO. Kannayan says: “The control of the farmers' seed, is the control of life in the world.”

To understand this phrase and how high the interest of the multinational spread of GMO products, could be enough to know that American companies pay large subsidies to major Indian universities for research on genetically modified organisms. But that is not all. A seed manipulated in the laboratory for chemical and molecular characteristics, needs a certain type of fertilizer, marketed only by the multinationals themselves. Finally, a plant that will be born from a seed GMO, has seeds incapable of putting in place the mechanisms for their natural reproduction. This forces the farmer of GMO products have to buy back the seeds every year, creating a mechanism dependent totally in favor of multinational corporations.

In addition to the important economic interests that revolve around the use of GMOs, it is then important to consider that such a choice leads to loss of natural biodiversity of the seeds, as each seed carries within it the history of the place where it has evolved to generate plants that produced it. Kannayan reminded us that, while first in India there were over 100 varieties of rice, today there are only a 20th.

The activist asks rhetorically: “Why does the government continues to insist upon using GMO seeds, if the People, consumer or producers, express their opposition to them?”

Ultimately our friend activist has allowed us to reflect on the lack of a sense that today has farming animals for food. It was a reflection at the top of the problem has highlighted the enormous waste of assets such as land and water, used to grow food for livestock, or the same alleged biofuels (instead of thinking about renewable energy). The industrialization of the meat is depriving the world of important natural resources and in return provides equally important pollutants, from industries rearing, slaughter and transport, not to mention the poor health of the product itself. The firm position of Kannayan is that the food grown by men can not be used to feed large herds of animals, but must be used to feed on humans. The cultivation of the land must serve for the sustenance of peoples' life.

From our meeting with Subramaniam Kannayan complaints emerged not only complaints, but also alternative possibilities that each of us should consider and embrace as our own. The activist teaches: “If the consumer culture remains the same, then the system does not change.” We must abandon this model of capitalism that grows increasingly insatiable – promoting a consumption that leads inevitably to the privatization of collective goods. One of the most recent and striking examples is water, or public transport, education and health in Italy.

We need to support local agricultural activities and boycott the products of multinational companies, already excessively wealthy. The trade should support producers and consumers, promoting an exchange directly between persons of the same territory, while at the moment the logic of multinational corporations is bleeding both. Kannayan argues that: “The main purpose of agriculture should be to feed the world, instead it only feeds large multinational companies.”

We must abandon the belief that they are "things" to make us happy and work on ourselves, only beings from which comes our well-being, with simple things, that are almost always non-material.

This is a brief account of my visit to Italy from 18 to 27th of February,2010.

2010-03-31T18:35:00.005+05:30

Arrival in Rome.
I arrived in Fiumicino airport around 5 o clock in the afternoon on 18th February,2010. My dear friends Marco and Manuela received me in the airport with a warm hug. We went to Rome and stayed for a while in the Ya Basta Roma office. My dear friend Miria welcomed me in the office. Later in the evening I started with my anti GM campaigner friend Prof. Altieri in his car to Lecce. We drove to Bari and stayed in a hotel for few hours. After having breakfast in the hotel, we again started to Lecce.
We reached STATI UNITI DEL MONDO, (SUM) association’s farm in Maglie in the morning. Daniela,Gioia, Lucia and Luca of SUM association invited me. SUM association had a close relationship with Pro.Nanjundasamy the great Indian farmers leader. They have this organic farm in Maglie and produce vegetables, olive oil etc and sell their produce to consumers directly in the name of ‘Amruth’. National television Rai Tre reporters were waiting for my arrival. After warm reception, the correspondent interviewed me on GMOs, Farmers condition. They asked me specific questions related to farmer’s suicide and GMOs and also on the recent moratorium on BT Brinjal in India. I told them the strong connection of GMOs to suicide and shared the struggle against GMOs in India.
The interview can be seen in the following link.http://www.rai.tv/dl/RaiTV/programmi/media/ContentItem-fef49c6a-56ac-4870-a1e3-beb814a626fa.html?p=0
Conference for GMO free Puglia.People of Puglia region in the southern part of Italy demand that the region to be GMO free. STATI UNITI DEL MONDO, SUM association organised a meeting in Lecce town in the historical Castle. The meeting was organised in association with local municipalities. More than 63 municipalities have declared GM Free and demanded the region to be GM Free. More than 200 people gathered in the castle to listen to various experts who have made presentations on the Genetic Engineering and its ill effects on environment, health and economics. The Lecce administration arranged the castle for this meeting. People told me that G8 meeting was held in this castle. The resource persons explained the gathering that it is impossible to save the bio diversity with the presence of GMOs in the environment. And also the resource persons explained the possible health dangers of GMOs. I have shared the experience of the struggle of the farmers and people of India against GMOs. I told them that people’s movements succeeded in stopping BT Brinjal fr
om introducing for commercial cultivation by a unified fight of farmers, consumers and civil society.
Return journey from Lecce to Rome.
I returned to Rome with my friend Mr.Altieri in his Fiat car. He was driving his car in 120 to 130 km speed. It was beautiful to see the Olive fields and agriculture lands in the southern Italy. There are stone bunds as boundaries and ancient small houses in the both sides of High way.
Terra Terra Market in Forte Prenestino social centre in Rome.
Small farmers and producers have a market in the Forte Prenestino every Sunday. The markets are supporting a campaign called “GENUINO/CLANDESTINO”, which means genuine/clandestine. There is an Italian national network with thousands of consumers visiting these direct markets of the producers and happily buying wine, olive oil, bread, vegetable, fruits, cheese, meat, organic soap, shampoo, pickles, honey etc. Terra Terra ( Land Land) , an association of farmers is facilitating this market in Rome. Each stall is paying 5Euroes to Terra Terra to meet the facilitation cost. This campaign is a revolutionary initiative by Terra Terra and the autonomous movement in Italy, which denounces the labelling regime of the government and promotes the sales to consumers directly by the producers by winning the trust of the consumers. In Italy farmers are around 7% of the total population and the produce of the farmers are controlled and marketed by the big chain of companies in super markets. But, in India, such practice is slowly taking place in the cities and in the rest of the places various layers of small and big traders are controlling the market.
Large number of youngsters and socially conscious people are supporting these efforts. They are buying organic products at comparatively cheaper price. The labelling regime in Italy is mandatory and the same regime helps the corporate to control the market. But, in this market they do not have any label as prescribed are mandated by the government and it is a kind of illegal market in this way. Therefore the products are clandestine (= not legal) as far as for labelling and official certification is concerned, but genuine (= good and healty); and this is the reason of the name. This is people’s market and this concept is spreading fast all over Italy.
Ya Basta, Roma has organised a meeting in this farmers market. As coordinator of South Indian Coordination Committee of Farmers movement (SICCFM) I have extended solidarity to Terra Terra and small scale producers for their effort to establish direct linkage with consumers and civil society to market their produce and live in co existence.
Meeting at Casa Loca social centre in Milan.
I arrived in Milan central railway station around 10pm on 22nd Feb,2010. Mauro, Mao and Valentina from Ya Basta Milan received me there. We went to Enzo and Patricia's house. We had a nice dinner there. I went to Casa Loca social centre in the noon and had a nice food from the self governing Kitchen of the social centre. There were university students having food and accessing internet in the social centre. The social centre was nicely painted both outside and inside. The paintings differentiate the social centre from other buildings. This building was squatted by the autonomous movement eight years back. This social centre has a hall, rooms for students, cafe, hall to conduct meetings and a hall to conduct concerts, dances and other cultural activities. This is a place for students and workers to have their food and relax.
A meeting was organised in Casa Loca on 23rd night. The hall was full of people. I spoke on Agriculture, trade and climate as like in Rome and other places. Patricia who is an English professor in the University translated my speech. Empoli
I started from Milan to Empoli by train. I got down in Florence railway station and got another train to Empoli. Daniele of Intifada social centre received me and drove me to a restaurant in his Suzuki swift car. I asked him about the Suzuki Swift car which is considered a small luxury car in India. He said it is not very good car, but cheap car. He praised German cars. We had Kabab in a Pakisthani restaurant. I asked the Pakisthani owner when did he come to Italy. He said four years back. Empoli is a small town. Here large number of Immigrants are living. There are a lot of Chinese shops and restaurants in this town.
Daniele stopped me in front of a shop and, showing me in the foot path wrote by paint showing an arrow mark towards that shop, told me “ He is a dangerous racist Bastard”. That shop keeper is a racist and not employing any immigrants in his job. Daniele told me that the Anti racist movement of the City thrown filth in to his shop and wrote like this in front of his shop.

Intifada social centre is small and beautiful one in Italy. This is my second visit to this social centre. I visited last time in April,2009 with Mauro, representative of Mapuche indigenous people of Argentina and also with Vilma of Ya Basta, Padova. This social centre is interior decorated by volunteers. It is furnished with an office, kitchen, a bar, a meeting hall and a beautiful dinning.
Here also I spoke on Indian agriculture, GMOs and free trade and its disastrous effects, free trade which destructs the livelihoods of Indian farmers. A seven minutes film on South Indian Farmers Action against free trade by blocking the Mangalore forte was screened. Bologna
I travelled by train from Empoli to Bologna. Ms.Neva of Ya Basta bologna received me in the railway station. Neva is working for the rights of immigrants. She told me that to be immigrants without documents is an offence punishable under imprisonments in Italy. She told me that there are special detention camps for the immigrants. Once people from outside and inside the camp together demolished the camp, fighting for the rights of immigrants.
CRITICAL BOOK & WINE, direct market of the independent publisher and winegrower.
There was a meeting and festival of book and wine. This was a four days programme part of Local wine producers, part of the above explained national campaign genuine/clandestine, (the same of the Rome meeting) and small publishers exhibited their books for direct sale. Wines without any commercial brands were directly sold by the wine producers without any brands. This meeting of critical and Book and Wine exhibition held in the TPO social centre.
Here also I spoke on the same subjects. The meeting was attended by more than 150 people.
The social centres:
In all the cities of the meetings with the autonomous movement of Italy and Associazione Ya basta!, the movement has occupied some buildings which are self managed by the movement to develop activities by the people and for the people (Roma – Forte Prenestino, Milano – Casaloca, Empoli - Intifada, Bologna – TPO, Padova – Pedro, and there are many more in many other cities). Social centres are the place where students, workers and Youths meet, have food and discussion. The decision about the struggle and the organization are taken in regular horizontal and open assemblies of the movement, conducted in these Social Centres. In every social centre they have also a kitchen, bar and dinning. They conduct concerts, festivals in social centres. All these events are not always Progressive or revolutionary. Sometimes these concerts and music festivals are an open opportunity to youths to visit social centres and participate in such events. Rivolta is a social centre in Mestre Venice. On 27th February night, they organised a whole night music festival with very high pitch sound. Around 2000 International Youths participated in this festival.

Sherwood Radio in Padova.
In Padova, together with the social centre, they have Radio Sherwood. A meeting was organised in the squatted building of Radio Sherwood on 26th February evening on Water issue. In Italy, there is an attempt under the way to privatise the water resources. I have shared the works of farmer’s movement in India and the struggle against GMOs and destructive free trade. I also shared my experience in Geneva during WTO ministerial in December, 2009, my experience in the climate caravan and in Copenhagen during Cop-15, climate summit. I have shared with them the struggles of civil society in Geneva and Copenhagen. I also shared the strong linkage of trade and climate. The false solutions proposed by the multinational companies and the real solutions demanded by the civil society were also shared in this meeting. I explained about the MNCs which are systematically attempting to control our seeds by penetrating in to the public sector research Institutions like Tamilnadu Agricultural University with help of US Aid funding. I also explained them about the edible oil import from Malaysia and Indonesia which accounts for 65% of the total domestic consumption. Such imports have killed the domestic oilseed production by destroying market. I appreciated Ya basta’s coffee procurement in Mexico directly from farmers by paying reasonable price and selling directly to consumers in Italy as a fair trade. Such trade is a model and not the MNC’s greedy and destructive trade.
Around 75 participants were present including university students and researches. Ms. Vilma a key activist of Ya basta Padova welcomed and facilitated the meeting.

• Dinner after all the meetings in Italy.
We were served delicious dinner with variety of menu including typical local dishes of the respective regions or locality. Dinners were served with fine wine of the region locality.
• My speeches were translated to Italiano language from English.
• In Roma Ms. Mariana interviewed me for il manifesto paper, which is a left and progressive paper in Italy. She wrote an article about alternative agriculture market which was published on 27th of February 2010.
• On the way to Lecce from Roma, I saw the grass and plants dried in the both sides of the High way. Prof. Altieri told me that they spray Round up to kill the weeds.

Farming is way of life !

2009-05-13T19:04:00.009+05:30

A school girl and her parents cleaning their Maize harvest in Basappan Doddi village, Thalavady, Erode district, Tamil Nadu, India.

Democratic Decentralization of the Means of Production

2009-05-12T21:54:00.003+05:30

Mr.Nicholas Parke of In Motion Magazine, an on line magazine from United states interviewed me when I was in Maputo, Mozambique last year attending La via Campesina convention. My views are now published in the magazine and available on line. Please follow the links to read my views.

http://www.inmotionmagazine. com/global/s_kannaiyan_int. html

It's also reachable from the What's New page at http://www. inmotionmagazine.com/new.html

and the Global Eyes page http://www. inmotionmagazine.com/global/. html

Also you can reach several other interviews from the conference from this page (still a few more to add):

http://www.inmotionmagazine. com/global/mozindex.html

Fall in crop area to hit sugar

2009-05-12T17:18:00.001+05:30

THE TIMES OF INDIA
Fall in crop area to hit sugar
21 Jan 2009, 0114 hrs IST, Jayaraj Sivan, TNN

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Chennai/Fall_in_crop_area_to_hit_sugar/articleshow/4009049.cms

CHENNAI: Sugar production in Tamil Nadu is likely to fall by a whopping two lakh tonnes in the current season October 2008 to September 2009
going by the estimate of the office of the commissioner of sugar.

Sugarcane cultivation, which is normally carried out in more than six lakh acres across the state, has fallen by 60,000 acres this year. Farmers in Tamil Nadu
are aggrieved that when their counterparts in Gujarat, Orissa and several other states get more than Rs 1,500 per tonne for sugarcane, they are forced to sell their crop at Rs 1,050 per tonne - the state advisory price (SAP) fixed by the government. Also, while the cooperative mills buy sugarcane at SAP, private mills are not bound by this price. They need to pay only the statutory minimum price (SMP) of Rs 811.8 per tonne fixed by the central government.

It is a different matter that most private mills pay farmers more than the SAP up to Rs 1,270 per tonne to encourage them to continue cultivating sugarcane. Over the years, there has been a steady fall in the number of farmers taking to this crop, said S Kannaiyan, organizing secretary of Tamil Nadu Farmers' Association.

On the ways to deal with the problems that plague this sector, Kannaiyan said, "To make sugarcane cultivation economically viable, farmers should be paid at least Rs 1,500 per tonne. Next, the mills should accept the yield in the 11th month of cultivation, when it gains maximum weight. And finally, the mills should make payments the moment they receive the produce. In Tamil Nadu, many mills delay the procurement by five to six months. Hence, farmers are not able to harvest and replant in time. Also, some mills delay payments. There are mills which owe farmers up to Rs 40 crore. Because of all these, many farmers have given up cultivating sugarcane."

Atulya Misra, commissioner of sugar, said, "We expect a fall in sugar production this year because sugarcane yield is likely to fall from last year's 223 lakh tonnes to 183 lakh tonnes in the current season. In the previous years, we used to get complaints from farmers that sugar mills were delaying accepting their produce. But we do not foresee that problem this year, primarily because sugar mills will be struggling to achieve their full capacity production owing to short-supply of sugarcane."

On the delay in payment by some private mills, Misra said, "As regards private mills, we can only ensure that they pay the SMP. If they do not make the payment within 14 days of accepting sugarcane, we can take action against them. We do not get any such complaint. But if any mill offers farmers a price higher than the SMP, and delays payment of the differential price what is promised over and above the SMP - we do not have powers to recover that."

Lift curbs on sugarcane movement, demand

2009-05-12T17:11:00.002+05:30

THE TIMES OF INDIA
Lift curbs on sugarcane movement, demand
21 Jan 2009, 0104 hrs IST, Jayaraj Sivan, TNN

CHENNAI: Sugarcane farmers in Tamil Nadu are demanding that the restrictions imposed on the movement of their produce within the state be lifted.

Tamil Nadu, like many other states, has been restricting the movement of sugarcane by creating a command area for each of its 37 sugar mills. Maharashtra is the only one allowing free movement of sugarcane within its territory. Restrictions are imposed to ensure that farmers who cultivate in a particular command area do not take their produce to another command area. This is aimed at ensuring full capacity utilization of every mill. To implement this, the commissioner of sugar issues periodical notifications.

As per a recent notification, even farmers who have not registered with sugar mills should first approach the mills to sell their produce. The mills can purchase them in order to achieve 100% capacity utilization of the factories.

In case the mills do not need the sugarcane produced by farmers, they are authorised to issue a no-objection certificate (NOC) to move the commodity out of their command area (jurisdictional boundary stipulated by the government) to another mill. But the NOC has to be issued within 14 days of the farmer expressing his desire to supply the produce to the factory. However, if the mills do not accept the yield and also do not issue the NOC within the stipulated 14 days, then the farmer has to seek the intervention of the commissioner of sugar to obtain the NOC from the mill.

Such a regulation will have a catastrophic effect on sugarcane farmers in the state, noted S Kannaiyan, organizing secretary, Tamil Nadu Farmers' Association. He told TOI: "In Erode district, one of the largest producers of sugarcane in the state, about 17,000 farmers who cultivate the crop in as many acres supply their produce to indigenous crushers, who produce country-made sugar. It makes better economic sense too to sell to such cottage industries, because they pay more than what sugar mills give. By asking every farmer to sell to sugar mills, the government is strangulating them."

T Subbu, a farmer in Erode, said, "Many sugar mills do not accept the produce in time. Selling the yield to outside market is the only option left under such circumstance. We want the government to withdraw restrictions on movement of sugarcane as otherwise it will spell doom for the farmers and more people will give up cultivation."

Senior advocate NGR Prasad, who has handled batches of cases relating to the issue, said the Sugarcane Control Order empowered the authorities to impose such conditions on farmers in order to ensure that the mill concerned is not starved of sugarcane.

FAILURE OF MONSANTO'S BT COTTON. BT-TECHNOLOGY FROM MONSANTO AND SEEDS FROM RASI SEEDS.

2009-05-12T15:49:00.010+05:30

FAILURE OF MONSANTO'S BT COTTON. BT-TECHNOLOGY FROM MONSANTO AND SEEDS FROM RASI SEEDS.

Monsanto’s BT Cotton crops and the seeds these cotton was sold by Rasi seed company in Perundurai and Gobichettipalayam blocks in Erode district, Tamil Nadu were failed. Nichampalayam is a small village where small and marginal farmers traditionally cultivate cotton for several decades. They cultivated BT cotton this year by sowing RCH 2 BT and Jabardasth –RCH 530 –BT II hybrid seeds from Rasi seed company. These seeds were produced by the company by using Monsanto’s Genetic engineering technology.

Leafs of the cotton crops became red after two plugging and all the plants lodged. The plants dried within a week after lodging. Total yield was only around 5-6 quintals per acre. Farmers met heavy economic loss. Thamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam complained to Erode district collector on 30.01.2009. Based on our complaint Scientists from Tamil Nadu Agriculture University (TNAU) and Central Institute Cotton Research ( CICR) inspected the failed cotton fields in Perundurai and Gobichettpalayam blocks in Erode District.

The scientists inspected the field on 3^rd of Februry, 2009 and submitted a report after 10 days. I have accompanied the scientists during their field inspection. They did not take the soil or the affected plants for the inspection. They asked some complicated questions from the farmers like how many leaves and bolls in a plant and how many bolls were expected by the farmers as yield etc.

The scientists in their report said that the reddening of the leafs and lodging of the plants were due to the deficiency of nutrients in the soil and deficiency of micro nutrients particularly magnesium. They have simply put the blame on the farmers. The report came not as the outcome of their scientific research but their loyalty to their Boss Monsanto, because the University is carrying out researches in favour of Monsanto. TNAU is funded by World Bank. US Aid , Monsanto , Rockefeller foundation etc. These are the institutions and International financial Intuitions funding Indian Agricultural research instructions to transform research in favour of the Transnational Agri business companies.

Here are some of the news coverages by The Hindu

The link for the Hindu news on the failed BT Cotton crop and complaint.

http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/31/stories/2009013156960600.htm

The link for the Hindu news on S.Kannaiyan’s press release.

http://www.hindu.com/2009/02/03/stories/2009020352740300.htm

The link for The Hindu News on the scientists visit.

http://www.hindu.com/2009/02/04/stories/2009020451260300.htm

The link for the Hindu report on the scientists report

http://www.hindu.com/2009/03/17/stories/2009031754890500.htm

For more pictures by Kannaiyan please follow the link.

http://picasaweb.google.com/sukannaiyan69/FailedBTCottonFromRasiSeedsAndMonsantoGMTechonology?feat=directlink