India
must stand firm on food security issue, say farmers
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Geneva, 23 Jul (Kanaga Raja) -- A number of farmers' organisations
in India have called upon their government to stand firm on linking
the issue of food security with the Trade Facilitation Agreement.
In a statement issued in New Delhi on the eve of the WTO General Council
meeting (24-25 July), the groups called on the Government of India
to not buckle down under pressure from the United States, the European
Union and other developed countries, and to not dilute its position
of linking trade facilitation with food and livelihood security and
by pushing for a permanent solution to the G-33 proposal on public
stockholding for food security purposes.
"We call upon the Government of India to use current negotiations
to correct fundamental WTO wrongs, to build up and lead a coalition/alliance
of like-minded countries to collectively secure safeguards for sovereign
development policy space, food security and the livelihood concerns
of farmers and its people," said the groups.
Among the groups that endorsed the statement are the Alliance for
Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA); All India Kisan Sabha
(AIKS); Bharatiya Krishak Samaj (BKS); Bhartiya Kisan Union, Haryana;
Bhartiya Kisan Union, Punjab; Green Brigade, Karnataka; Kerala Coconut
Farmers Association (KCFA), Kerala; BJP Kisan Morchha; Maharashtra
Shetkari Sangathan; and Tamil Nadu Farmers Association, Tamil Nadu.
"In the backdrop of rising costs and extremely volatile global
market prices, and to fulfil the constitutional obligation of food
security to its people, and also to ensure the livelihood security
of producers, the Government of India needs to sustain and increase
domestic agricultural production through price support, procurement
and other measures to achieve self-sufficiency in food production,
across different food grains," said Yudhvir Singh, leader of
Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), one of the largest farmers' organisations
in India, in a press release.
"This is all the more important in the context of hundreds of
thousands of farmers committing suicides in desperation," he
added.
Kavitha Kuruganti, of the Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic
Agriculture (ASHA), said: "The Government of India lost a historical
opportunity in correcting deep-seated WTO wrongs in the Bali Ministerial.
At least now, they need to stand firm on our sovereign policy space
related to food and livelihood security, and sustainable development
pathways."
"Indian government at that time settled for a temporary solution
with so called ‘peace clause'. Lack of progress towards a ‘permanent
solution' vindicates our apprehensions. At this point of time, the
government should not buckle under any international pressure. It
should remain firm in its position," she added.
In their statement, the Indian farmers' organisations expressed disappointment
over the Chair's Summary of the G-20 trade ministers' meeting (held
in Sydney on 19 July), which they said refers specifically to the
Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) but does not refer to the food
security proposal, which is of paramount importance for the people
of India.
Noting that the Chair's Summary is fully silent on the livelihood
concerns of farmers and other affected people in developing countries,
the statement said: "This clearly shows that G20 is increasingly
turning to fixing the interest of developed countries and totally
ignoring the livelihood concerns of people in the developing countries
and least developed countries."
"Agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy. Food security
in India rests heavily on the Public Distribution System (PDS) and
the PDS itself cannot be operated unless farmers are given enough
support so that they can continue to produce."
In the context of rising costs and extremely volatile global market
prices, and to fulfil the constitutional obligation of food security
to its people, the Government of India needs to sustain and increase
domestic agricultural production through price support, procurement
and other measures to achieve self-sufficiency in food production,
across different food grains at that.
"This is all the more important in the present context of deep
agrarian crisis manifesting itself in hundreds of thousands of producers
committing suicides in desperation," said the groups.
"At the Bali ministerial, the Indian government had sought to
secure such subsidies to farmers through the G-33 Food Security Proposal.
However, due to bungled negotiations, the nation settled for a Peace
Clause which allows such subsidies only for a temporary period while
the developed countries pushed the TFA which is a permanent agreement,"
the groups said, adding that they were however promised by the Indian
government that they will push for a permanent solution to the food
security proposal.
India's primary interest, both domestically and globally, has to be
the protection of agricultural producers' livelihoods and the domestic
production of food in order to meet the right to food of its people,
the groups stressed.
The statement noted that India has currently taken a position to block
the ratification of the TFA unless other elements of the Bali Outcome
including a permanent solution on the food security proposal and the
LDC package are advanced.
It recalled that in a statement at the WTO, India's Ambassador stated
that, "till we have an assurance and visible outcomes which convince
developing countries that Members will engage in negotiations with
commitment to find a permanent solution on public stockholding and
all other Bali deliverables, especially those for the LDCs, India
will find it difficult to join the consensus on the Protocol of Amendment."
"However, we are hearing conflicting reports of India being ‘fully
committed to the (Bali) package'. This clearly gives an impression
that India may agree to the finalization of protocol on trade facilitation
without the finalization of Doha Round especially on the issue of
food security, which is against the principle of the single undertaking,"
said the farmers' statement.
The farmers' organisations sought clarification from the Government
of India whether it has moved away from its earlier stand.
