1.Farmers' association declares war on GE crops
2.NGOs gather to protest farmer suicides

Extract: "We are ready to face any consequence in our fight against these crops, which endanger food security and poison the environment. If need be, we will confiscate GE seeds from shops that sell them and destroy them," K. Chellamuthu, chairman, Tamil Nadu Farmers Association '(item 1)
---

1.Farmers' association declares war on GE crops
Special Correspondent The Hindu, November 16 2006 http://www.hindu.com/2006/11/16/stories/2006111603640500.htm

"These crops will endanger food security, poison the environment"

*Trials are being conducted clandestinely *Companies such as Monsanto-Mahyco have poor bio-safety records *Firms testing such crops are mandated to destroy them after trials, but the practice is never followed

CHENNAI: Representatives of the Tamil Nadu Velan Kappu Kuzhu said on Wednesday they would not allow genetically engineered crops to be tested or cultivated anywhere in Tamil Nadu.

"We are ready to face any consequence in our fight against these crops, which endanger food security and poison the environment. If need be, we will confiscate GE seeds from shops that sell them and destroy them," K. Chellamuthu, chairman, Tamil Nadu Farmers Association, told reporters.

Last week, members of the Kuzhu, an umbrella organisation of farmers, consumer organisations and environmental groups, staged a protest by uprooting GE paddy from a trial field at Alandurai near Ramanathapuram in Coimbatore.

Appeal to Chief Minister

"The trials are being conducted clandestinely by multinational companies such as Monsanto that is selling GE seeds through Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company Limited. We are losing our traditional crop strains by the invasion of the MNC crops. We will try to create awareness of the threat posed by these crops and will appeal to Chief Minister M. Karuninidhi to make Tamil Nadu a GE-free State,'' Mr. Chellamuthu said.
---

2.NGOs gather to protest farmer suicides
NDTV, November 17, 2006 (New Delhi):
http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=NGOs+gather+to+protest+farmer+suicides&id=96531&category=National

Recently the plight of farmers in the country and especially in the Vidharbha region of Maharashtra has been in focus.

NGOs, Farmers' Associations and Citizens of Delhi came together for a candle light vigil to tell the government that something concrete must be done about the problems being faced by the country's farmers.

Farmers from across the country gathered at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar in an attempt to highlight the increasing number of farmer suicides across India.

Candle light vigil

Later, at a candle light vigil, they remembered debt ridden farmers who saw no other way out other than committing suicide.

"This is the beginning. You will see that in the next few days this kind of effort will be demonstrated not only in four metropolitan cities but also in small towns," said Devinder Sharma, Director, Forum for Biotechnology and Food Security.

"People are agitated, they want to express their anger but we want it to be peaceful," Sharma said .

The demands of Mohan Dharia, on a hunger strike in Pune, echoed by farmers in the capital.

"Government should give us subsidy, diesel is so expensive, something should be done about that. We should be given easy loans," said Om Prakash, farmer.

Demand for action

Farmers demanded that the government move quickly to tackle the problems of farmers before it's too late.

"Government is overlooking our problems. They should see the condition of the farmers. This candle light vigil is to spread light over the ignorance of the government," said a farmer.

One-and-a-half lakh farmers have committed suicide in the past 15 years in India.

The candle light vigil is an effort of the NGOs, Farmers' Associations, and the Citizens of Delhi to pay tribute to all those who have died and to carry forward the silent protest against farmers suicide.

And it doesn't end here. They plan to make more citizens aware of the seriousness of the crisis faced by the nation today.

Go to a Print friendly Page

Email this Article to a Friend

Back to the Archive