archives of global protestsIndian farmers continue struggle against WTO
german summary; english below.
Nach der einmonatigen Karawane durch Indien gegen die WTO, und die anschließende Aktion am Hafen von Mumbai am 19. Februar, wo 51.000 Indische BäuerInnen es versucht haben importierte Landwirtschaftliche Produkte zu zerstören und massiv verhaftet wurden....gehen die Aktionen weiter.
Jetzt mobilisieren indische BäuerInnen (unter anderen aus dem KRRS) nach New Delhi zu einer Massenkundgebung und zur Belagerung des Parlaments am 19. März mit der Forderung die Landwirtschaft aus der WTO zurückzuziehen. (Siehe Text und Brief an Indischen Präsident unten der von parlamentarerInnen unterschreiben werden soll).
Wäre nett wenn Leute die Nachricht über ihre Medien verbreiten würden. Vielleicht kann es ja schon auf die neue deutsche IMC Seite ? Solidaritätsaktionen sind immer willkommen.
Für mehr Infos, Fotos, Interviews, Berichte etc könnt ihr folgende Adresse kontaktieren: (auf English)
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KRRS
Karnataka Rajya Ryota Sangha
[Karnataka State Farmer's Association]
Prof.Nanjundaswamy
President
2111,7th-A Cross,3rd Main,
Vijayanagar 2nd Stage
Bangalore-560 040-India
Phone:+91-80-3300965
Fax:+91-80-3302171
E-mail: swamy.krrs@vsnl.com; krrs_123@yahoo.com
NATIONAL COORDINATION OF FARMERS MOVEMENTS
MAMMOTH RALLY AND PARLIAMENT GHERAO(SIEGE) TO GET AGRICULTURE OUT OF W.T.O.
AT KISAN GHAT, NEW DELHI ON 19TH MARCH, 2001.
Five years of liberalization in agriculture has made it clear to all that it has given a death-blow to Indian agriculture and Indian farmers.
All the Political Parties/ except the BJP and most of the Political leaders have understood the fraud that is being played by the developed countries, especially the USA and the European Union, by abusing the W.T.O machinery. With their high levels of Domestic support to their farmers and export subsidies and trickeries in tarrification these developing countries are on the one hand out to conquer our markets and on the other are excluding us from their markets.
But, inspite of this knowledge, all our Political Parties and leaders are not showing enough courage to suggest clear-cut solutions to come out of this "unfair market".
To enlist the opinion of our Members of Parliament and to elicit their clear stand on this issue of taking agriculture out of this "unfair market" called W.T.O. we are launching an opinion poll among our MPs from 12th March to 18th March, 2001 and later join in lakhs at the Kisan Ghat in a mammoth rally on 19th March, 2001 and later on the same day Gherao Parliament to press our demand to take Agriculture out of W.T.O.
COME TO KISAN GHAT IN LAKHS AND LAKHS
Hon'ble President of India
New DelhiSir,
Sub: Taking Agriculture out of W.T.O.
One of the main reasons for the failure of the Seattle Ministerial Conference of W.T.O. is attributed to the major disagreements between and among the major trading nations, especially in the area of agriculture.
We believe, it is essential to use this development as an opportunity to change course and develop an alternative, humane, democratically accountable and sustainable system of commerce that benefits all.
The time has come to acknowledge the crises the international trading system is causing and the crises in which its main administering institution, the W.T. O. itself is.
The GATT Uruguay Round Agreements and the establishment of the W.T.O. were proclaimed as a means of enhancing the creation of global wealth and property and promoting the well being of all people in all member states. In reality, however, the WTO has contributed to the concentration of wealth in the hands of the rich few; increasing the poverty for the majority of the World's peoples, especially in the third world countries.
The W.T.O. and GATT Uruguay Round Agreements have functioned principally to pry open markets for the benefit of transnational corporations at the expense of national and local economies, workers, farmers, indigenous peoples, women and other social groups as also of health and safety, the environment and animal welfare.
Under these circumstances, it is urgent that India should take the lead in projecting the imbalances, particularly in the Agreement on Agriculture, by demonstrating how the imbalances have seriously hamstrung the ability and potential of India and third world countries to develop agriculture, and also by exposing and arguing against the inequities in the Agreement which include the Provision that provides different sets of rules which effectively allow developed countries to maintain their subsidies while denying developing countries the same rights and how by reclassifying these subsidies the developed countries are creating better market access for their products and denying the same to the developing countries.
But, though it has become clear that agriculture has become the most distorted sector of trade, the developed countries with their trade-distorting subsidies and import barriers still are determined to continue with this same "Unfair Trade".
It is time to turn this "Unfair Trade" around. This process entails rolling back the power and authority of the W.T.O. by making it recognize that in countries like India, where the main source of assured access to food is food production itself, either in the form of subsistence farming or through generation of farm incomes, and that imports of food could not be an alternative to domestic production.
International trade regimes should realize that Food is a Basic Human Right and not a commodity of Trade. So much so, measures necessary to promote and protect food security and food sovereignty, subsistence farming, humane farming practices and sustainable agriculture must be exempt from international free trade rules.
In view of this, Sir, we urge upon you to interfere, using your Constitutional powers, to save Indian Farming and farmers from the impending and increasing dangers of "Free Trade" in Agriculture by advising the Government of India to strive towards taking Agriculture out of the World Trade Organisation.
New Delhi Yours sincerely Date: ............ ................ Member of Parliament
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