SOUTH INDIAN FARMER’S CONVENTION AGAINST WTO AND FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS

SOUTH INDIAN FARMER’S CONVENTION AGAINST WTO AND FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS
30th -31st October- 2009. Calicut, Kerala.


Report of main outcomes of the meeting

Background to the Calicut meeting

The 2nd meeting of the SICCFM – South Indian Farmers against the WTO was conducted in Calicut, Kerala on the Oct 30th and 31st 2009. The organizing group was the Kerala Coconut Farmers Association. This meeting had been planned at the previous and the first formative meeting of the SICCFM in Bangalore on Oct 2 and 3. The SICCFM is a network of about fourteen farmers and fishers groups in South Indian, that are collaborating despite differences on the common cause of agricultural liberalization through FTAs and WTO.

The main reason behind the formation of the SICCFM was to bring together and consolidate South Indian movements against FTAs and the WTO. South Indian states are under a greater threat due to FTAS like the ASEAN, Indo-Sri Lanka FTA and India Thailand FTA which is the reason that creating the SICCFM was seen as a crucial move. Kerala especially was threatened by the ASEAN FTA that was signed by the Indian government in 2009. This move was made despite the Kerala government’s strong resistance on the grounds that it would lead to a loss of livelihoods in the fisheries sector and of cash crop farmers of tea, coffee, rubber, pepper, edible oils and other commodities. Cheap imports of these products from South East Asian countries are leading to a crash in prices. Even the so called protection measures such as the Exclusion list are ineffective due to a narrow vision of protection where factors like the existence of substitute goods, the comparative production capacities of different countries, the level of government support provided to farmers etc have not been taken into consideration.

At the previous Bangalore meeting a part of the action plan created was to conduct dharnas [protest] and meetings in all the capital or important cities of South Indian states. This 2nd SICCFM meeting was therefore conducted not only in order to strengthen the movement of the Kerala groups against ASEAN and WTO by organizing a dharna there but also to strategically plan the next steps of South Indian farmers groups against the WTO as the WTO ministerial in Geneva approaches this 30th Nov.

Another important component of this meeting was to discuss the Government of India’s (GOI) recent approval of Mahyco’s [a subsidiary of Monsanto USA] Genetically Modified (GM) vegetable Bt Brinjal. The GOI has put a hold on this decision until further consultations are undertaken by the minister of Environment and Forests in the months of January and February. The SICCFM used this opportunity to make a preliminary plan for the coming months on this issue.

Objectives
- Organize a dharna against the ASEAN and the WTO.
- Prepare an action plan in the lead up to the WTO ministerial in Geneva from Nov 30th – 2 Dec.
- Discuss the future plan for the Bt Brinjal issue
- Plan the next meeting venue and objectives

List of participants
Karnataka Rajya Ryotha Sangha( KRRS)
Kerala Coconut Farmers Association
Indian Farmers Movement(INFAM)
Adivasi Gothra Mahsabha
Tamizaga Vyavasayigal Sangham( Dr.Shivasamy)
Tamizaga Vyavasayigal Sangham( K.Sellamuthu)
Katchi Sarpartra Tamizaga Vyavasayigal Sangham( N.S.Palanisamy, Ex.M.L.A,
Anti Coca Cola Campaign Committee of Plachimada
Matsya Thozilali Federation
Bharitya Kisan Union [Mr Yudhvir Singh, president of BKU Delhi and coordinator of La Via Campesina in South Asia was also present in solidarity]

Main Outcomes
- A Dharna was organized from Shikshak Sadan in Calicut to Kipson corner with a participation of about 500 women and men. The main leaders participating were Chandrasekhar Kodihalli,Basavaraj Thambake of Karnataka Rajya Ryotha Sangha, P.Ravindranath of Kerala Coconut Farmers Association, Fr.George of INFAM, C.K.Janu of Adivasi Gothra Mahsabha, Dr.Shivasami, N.S.Palanisami,K.Kalimuthu,K.Sellamuthu, Nallagounder, Balasubramaniam of Tamizaga Vyavasayigal Sangham, Mr. Vilayudi Venugupal of the Anti Coca Cola Campaign Committee of Plachimada, Mr Majindran Swathanthra of Matsya Thozilali Federation. Mr. Yudhvir Singh from the North Indian BKU, South-Asian Coordinator of Global farmers Movement called La Via Campesina was also present. The main slogans shouted in local languages were – “stop destructive Doha round”, “Agriculture out of WTO”, “No to FTAs, yes to food sovereignty”, “no to GM crops”., ‘’Agriculture out of WTO’’
- Plan of Action was created against the WTO and ASEAN
- Plan of Action was discussed against Bt Brinjal – it was decided that after the Nov WTO meet, the focus would be on the Bt brinjal issue especially since the government of India will be conducting consultations with farmers in the months of Jan and Feb.
- Decision to strengthen the farmer’s movement bringing in a variety of small and diverse groups besides the traditional large farmers movements.
o Plan to bring in new groups from the state of Andhra Pradesh [which has been mostly absent in the SICCFM]

Action Plan

- A farmer’s memorandum to the Prime Minister will be prepared which will be handed over through local level government officials during all the farmers protests organized in the run up to the Nov WTO ministerial.

Karnataka:
- Organize a big rally in Bangalore against the WTO [bring participants from all the other south Indian states]
- Carry out a port blocking action in Mangalore through where palm oil is being imported into the country. This action will be carried out along with coconut farmers from other states like Kerala and also possibly with some new fishing groups.

Tamil Nadu:
- On the occasion of Indian Agriculture minister Sharad Pawars visit to the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University on Nov 6, to organize a black flag protest. [other states might send representatives there]
- District level protests all over the state and handing over of the memorandum.
- Also the possibility of organizing a large statewide protest by bringing together 3-4 different groups is under discussion.
- Organize a south Indian Level seminar on BT Brinjal issue in the month of December-2009 in Coimbatore as a preparatory to face the consultation organized by the Union ministry of Environment.
Kerala:
- Organize a day long fast in every district center.
- Join the port blocking action in Mangalore along with the Karnataka farmers.

For further info contact:
Chukki Nanjundaswamy – chukki.krrs@gmail.com, #+91 9845066156, Kannaiyan – sukannaiyan69@gmail.com, #+91 9444989543