INDIA
Farmers in Over 400 Districts Observe 'Quit WTO Day' Against Inclusion of Agri Sector in WTO Pact


Newsclick Report | 27 Feb 2024

The SKM called for 'Quit WTO Day' on Monday, February 26, in the backdrop of the 13th WTO Ministerial in Abu Dhabi.

Farmers, under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), protested on the streets of Haryana and Punjab against the inclusion of the agriculture sector in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreement.

The SKM had called for 'Quit WTO Day' on Monday, February 26, demanding the removal of the agriculture sector from the WTO agreement. Farmers observed the protest by parking their tractors on highways in Haryana and Punjab.

The images of tractor rallies with farmers burning the effigies of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and State Home Minister Anil Vij started pouring in from the morning. The farmers tied the flags of their organisations on their vehicle bonnets and raised slogans like ‘Give MSP now, Boycott WTO, Inquilab Zindabad.’

Apart from SKM, SKM (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) also observed the protests by burning effigies of WTO at Khanauri and Shambhu borders. These organisations are leading the 'Dilli Chalo' march.

The 'Quit WTO Day' protest came "against the backdrop of the 13th Ministerial Conference of WTO which started on Monday in Abu Dhabi (UAE) and will continue till February 29."

"We demand that agriculture should be taken out of the WTO agreement. It is high time the government understands the concerns of farmers," said Sukhmandar Singh, president of BKU (Rajewal).

Darshan Pal, member of the national coordination committee of SKM, said, "Farmers have realised the threats to the agriculture sector due to the agreements of India with WTO. It is high time the consumers also understand them."

Balbir Thakan, president, All India Kisan Sabha Bhiwani, said anger of farmers could be gauged from the fact that more than 2600 farmers took 1,400 tractors on 10 major state and national highways in the district alone.

Talking to NewsClick over the phone, he said, “Farmers are also understanding that if mustard is being dumped in the Indian market, our prices will crash. We as organisation leaders make common farmers aware about these developments. However, farmers are very much enraged about treatment meted out to common farmers at the borders. We are also gearing up for our huge national meeting of farmers in Ramlila Maidan on March 14.”

According to an Indian Express report, farmers parked their tractors at several locations in the Hoshiarpur district of Punjab, including the Jalandhar-Jammu National Highway. The protesters in Punjab also called for legal guarantees on minimum support price (MSP), pensions for farmers, implementation of Swaminathan Commission recommendations and debt waivers.

Similar protests where farmers parked their tractors on national highways from 12 noon to 3 pm were observed in Haryana's Hisar and Ajnala, Jandiala Guru, Beas and Rayya regions of Punjab.

Meanwhile, there has been no movement in the deadlock between the 'Dilli Chalo' farmer unions and the Punjab government even five days after the death of a young farmer from Punjab.

Jagjit Singh Dallewal, coordinator of SKM (non-political), urged the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to speak to the farmers and register an FIR against the Haryana police officers who allegedly opened fire at the protest site.

"This dharna will continue till our demands are met. Even after the model code of conduct comes into force owing to the upcoming parliamentary elections, this protest will continue. The government may not take any action on the pretext of the election model code of conduct, but we have nothing to do with the elections," said Sarwan Singh Pandher, KMM Coordinator.

Farmers organisations have been maintaining that India’s food security and price support programmes are subjects of repeated disputes at WTO. The major agricultural exporting countries, has proposed a 50% cut in the global level of WTO members’ entitlements to support agriculture by the end of 2034.

In a press statement SKM said,”The issue of public stock-holding is most critical for India especially in view of the ongoing struggles of farmers and workers for the MSP to be fixed at C2+50% level and for a statutory guarantee of the MSP to all farmers. In fact in India, 90% of the farmers are out of the purview of the present system of MSP based on A2+Fl+50% and facing acute agrarian crisis and indebtedness.”

It added: “The resultant intensifying unemployment, poverty and rural to urban distress migration have created precarious situations in the countryside during the least ten years of Modi rule. The Government of India must firmly defend the rights of the country to protect its farmers and ensure national food security. No international institutions or agreements can be allowed to come in the way of these [guarantees].”

The SKM maintained that the Indian government was given a lease in 2014, as an exception for five years, allowing it not to implement conversion of PDS (public distribution system) into cash transfer. “India's food stocking program for PDS is exempted from challenge by WTO members under the temporary peace clause. That is likely to be upturned and if so, India needs to Quit WTO to prevent WTO regulations from interfering in its food security programs and agriculture production,” it said.

Meanwhile, the joint platform of central trade unions too extended its solidarity to the rally and said, “It is most deplorable that these forces violated federal structure and respect to sovereign rights of state governments and used these oppressive measures in the territory of Punjab, not only with water cannons and plastic pellets but metal pellets were also used. Use of drones on the food producer Annadata seeking for their genuine demands was most barbaric. Not only that, the forces went inside Punjab boundary and damaged more than 50 tractors and vehicles of farmers, they continued picking up people at random.”

“We demand judicial enquiry to investigate the killing of the young farmer, to fix responsibility and registration of a case under Sec. 302 of IPC for stringent punishment to the culprit and compensate the farmers for the huge damage done to their tractors and vehicles. The CTUs extend their unequivocal solidarity to the programme called by the SKM for a Mahapanchayat on March 14 at Ramlila ground, Delhi on their demands,” the statement read.

INDIA FARMERS REVOLT

Cancellation of UK PM Boris Johnson's visit our victory, Modi government's 'defeat': Farmer unions

Farmer unions protesting against the three new agri laws claimed the cancellation of UK PM Boris Johnson's visit to India later this month was a political win.

Published: 07th January 2021 


PM Narendra Modi (Photo | PTI)
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Farmer unions protesting against the three new agri laws Wednesday claimed the cancellation of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's visit to India later this month was a "political win" for them and a "diplomatic defeat" for the government, and asserted their agitation has been receiving global support.

Johnson was scheduled to attend the Republic Day celebrations in India as Chief Guest, but the visit had to be cancelled due to the growing health crisis in the UK after a new variant of coronavirus emerged there.

"The cancellation of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's India visit is a political win for farmers and a diplomatic defeat for the Modi government...political and social organisations across the world have been supporting the agitation," Sankyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of the protesting farmer unions, said in a statement in Hindi.

The statement said the farmers have already announced a tractor protest march on January 26 and a "rehearsal" for it on January 7.

ALSO READ: Agri laws: Wisconsin Speaker supports farmers' protests; writes to Indian, US envoys

"The cancellation of the UK prime minister's visit because of all these efforts is surely a big victory for farmers," the statement said.

According to a release issued by the Prime Minister's office here on Tuesday, PM Narendra Modi had a telephonic conversation with Johnson.

"Prime Minister Johnson reiterated his thanks for India's invitation for him as the Chief Guest of the forthcoming Republic Day celebrations, but regretted his inability to attend in view of the changed COVID-19 context prevailing in the UK. He reiterated his keenness to visit India in the near future," it had stated.

The protesting farm unions have claimed that around 80 farmers have died --they have called them "martyrs" -- since their agitation began.

ALSO READ: SC to hear pleas against new agri laws, all issues related to farmers protest on January 11

"Farmers' movement is now becoming people's movement," the Morcha statement said.

Meanwhile, All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee, one of the 40 protesting unions, alleged in statement that the Central government is "non-serious" on the demands of peasants.

"The Central government is non-serious about talks and solving farmers' problems. In the 7th round of talks, it finally stated clearly that it has understood that the demand is for repeal and that it will have to undertake 'further consultation'," AIKSCC claimed.

The seventh round of talks between the protesting unions and three Central ministers ended inconclusively on Monday as farmer groups stuck to their demand for the repeal of three laws, while the government listed out various benefits of the new Acts for the growth of the country's agriculture sector.

ALSO READ: Undeterred by cold weather, rains, protesting farmers warn to intensify stir further

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had said he remains hopeful of a solution in the next meeting on January 8, but asserted that efforts need to be made from both sides for a resolution to be reached (taali dono haathon se bajti hai).

While several opposition parties and people from other walks of life have come out in support of the farmers, some farmer groups have also met the agriculture minister over the last few weeks to extend their support to the three laws.

Last month, the government had sent a draft proposal to the protesting farmer unions, suggesting seven-eight amendments to the new laws and a written assurance on the MSP procurement system.

The government has ruled out a repeal of the three agri laws.

Over 2,500 farmers take out tractor march in Delhi against farm laws

Farmers started the tractor march around 11 am and moved towards Kundli, Manesar, Palwal Expressway amid heavy deployment of Delhi Police and Haryana Police personnel.

Farmers tractor march at KMP Rohtak crossing on ThFarmers tractor march at KMP Rohtak crossing on Thursday. (Photo | Shekhar Yadav, EPS)

Published: 07th January 2021 
By PTI

NEW DELHO: Amid tight security, thousands of farmers on Thursday started their tractor-march from protest sites -- Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders -- against the three agriculture laws.

Bharati Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) chief Joginder Singh Ugrahan said that farmers participated in the march with over 3,500 tractors and trolleys.

According to the protesting farm unions, this is just "rehearsal" for their proposed January 26 tractor parade that will be move into the national capital from different parts of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

Farmers started the tractor march around 11 am and moved towards Kundli, Manesar, Palwal Expressway amid heavy deployment of Delhi Police and Haryana Police personnel.

The tractor march, led by senior BKU leader Rakesh Tikait, moved towards Palwal.

"In the coming days, we will intensify our agitation against the three farm laws. Around 2,500 tractors from Haryana have participated in today's march. 

"We want to warn that if the government doesn't not accept our demands, farmers' protest will get intensified further," Abhimanyu Kohar, a senior member of Samkyukt Kisan Morcha, told PTI.

The tractor march started from four different points -- Singhu to Tikri Border, Tikri to Kundli, Ghazipur to Palwal and Rewasan to Palwal.

ALSO READ | Security increased along Delhi borders ahead of farmers' tractor rally 

Braving severe cold and sporadic rains, thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and some other parts of the country have been camping at several Delhi border points for over 40 days, demanding repeal of farm laws, a legal guarantee on minimum support price for their crops and other two issues.

The seventh round of talks between protesting unions and three central ministers ended inconclusively on Monday as farmer groups stuck to their demand for the repeal of three laws, while the government listed out various benefits of the new acts for the growth of the country's agriculture sector.

India farmer protests: Police fire tear gas in Republic Day clashes

Tens of thousands of Indian farmers protesting agricultural reforms have driven a convoy of tractors into New Delhi as the capital celebrates Republic Day with a military parade.

India's farmers stage mass protest on national holiday

Police in New Delhi fired tear gas at protesting farmers after they broke through barricades on Tuesday.

The on-going protests upped the ante during the country's national Republic Day military parade in the capital.

The scaled-down parade, which celebrates the adoption of the Indian constitution in 1950, was overshadowed by the vast tractor rally.

DW Indian Correspondent Nimisha Jaiswal shared a video on Twitter of jubilant farmers after they broke through police lines, saying: "After tear gas and baton charges, farmers are exuberant as tractors, horses and crowds overrun the roads, and security forces leave the scene."

The protesters used cranes and ropes to pull down road blocks far from their approved marching route, forcing riot police to fall back, witnesses told Reuters.

A statement from the group of farmers unions explained that only one of the several protest parades had deviated from its pre-arranged route.

"Except for one group...our news is that all parades are happening on the pre-decided routes along with police," they said.

Why are farmers in India protesting?

Farmers have been protesting a new law which they say benefits large, private land grabbers over small local producers. Tens of thousands of angry protesters entered the outskirts of the city in a convoy of tractors earlier in the day.

"We want to show Modi our strength,'' Satpal Singh, a farmer who marched into the capital on a tractor along with his family of five, told AP.

"We will not surrender," he said.

Around half of India's 1.3 billion population works in agriculture and the on-going protests being carried out by some 150 landowning farmers represent one the biggest challenges to President Narendra Modi's government to date.

Onwards to New Delhi - A farmer's protest

"Modi will hear us now, he will have to hear us now," said Sukhdev Singh, a farmer from the agriculturally important northern state of Punjab, as he marched past the barricades.
Indian farmers in dire straits

More than half of India's farmers are in debt and more than 20,000 committed suicide in 2018 and 2019, according to official statistics.

Despite their weakening economic position — agriculture now makes up only 15% of the national economy — they represent a large voting bloc.

A series of talks have fallen flat as the farmers have consistently rejected any offer other than a complete repeal of the new law.

Devinder Sharma, an agriculture expert who campaigns for income equality for Indian farmers, said the protests were not just aimed at reforming the new law, but at "challenging the entire economic design of the country.''

"The anger that you see is compounded anger,'' Sharma said. "Inequality is growing in India and farmers are becoming poorer. Policy planners have failed to realize this and have sucked the income from the bottom to the top. The farmers are only demanding what is their right."

Opinion

What Christians can learn from Indian Sikh farmers’ desperate protests

The protesters’ cause and community have shown a way for people of all faiths to go forward in a post-pandemic world.  

Indian farmers participate in a tractor rally in a protest against new farm laws at Ghaziabad, on the outskirts of New Delhi, on Jan. 7, 2021. India’s top court temporarily put on hold the implementation of new agricultural laws and ordered the formation of an independent committee of experts to negotiate with farmers who have been protesting against the legislation. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri, File)

January 13, 2021

By 

Joseph D'Souza

(RNS) — For months, farmers in India have been

Almost immediately, farmers in Punjab, many of them Sikhs, began protesting locally, but in November, hundreds of thousands of farmers surrounded New Delhi in the largest mass protest India has seen in decades. Although these protests are largely leaderless, millions of farmers across the nation are united in their struggle for human dignity.

What can we learn from the protesters?

Humans have a right to a dignified livelihood. 

Globalization and the so-called market economy — which is built upon making money with money, not generating wealth with labor — have destroyed the livelihoods of numerous working-class people around the world. In India, globalization has wreaked havoc on the masses.

One effect has been to force Indian farming communities, which comprise 70% of India’s people, to grow nonessential crops for unsustainable compensation. In the state of Bihar, where the new agriculture laws were implemented, many farmers have become destitute. The dynamics that are starving farmers are also worsening India’s already dire water crisis.

Every person desires the right to dignified labor and compensation, the right to which was given to humanity by God, as recorded in Genesis:

And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’ …The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

Though human work eventually became corrupted by the sin of the first man and woman, work gives us a sense of worth and purpose. 

Indian farmers, created in the image of God, take pride in their profession. They know their work is neither a low kind of labor nor anything to be ashamed of. Their protests declare they will not be the servants of those who would try to take advantage of them.

Humans have a right to property. 

One of the most precious resources God has given humanity is land. Genesis makes clear that God placed the first people in a garden and not in a desert.

Yet, the new agriculture laws in India are propounded by a misplaced philosophy that holds that the ultimate value in life is profit, regardless of consequences and methods. India is not against global trade, but this toxic form of globalism negates the human right to property and home. 

Indian farmers protesting new agriculture laws hold a meeting at the Delhi-Haryana state border on Nov. 30, 2020. While trying to march toward New Delhi, the farmers, using their tractors, have cleared concrete blockades, walls of shipping containers and horizontally parked trucks after police had set them up as barricades and dug trenches on highways to block roads leading to the capital. (AP Photo/Rishi Lekhi)

Farmers in the state of Punjab are aware the agriculture laws will end up depriving them of the little land they have for farming and survival, even if it’s just a few acres. They know they will eventually have to lease their land to wealthy corporations, which will then produce what they want on the land and determine the prices the farmer will be paid, even as the companies sell their produce for higher prices in local and international markets. 

Many farmers across India bear an intolerable burden of loans, and hundreds of thousands are dying by suicide because they are unable to repay them. Their families become impoverished and other exploitation then begins to take place.

Human dignity demands doing away with racial, caste and religious divides. 

Many of the farmers who are protesting the agriculture laws are Sikhs living in Punjab. Sikhism is a monotheistic religion that originated in Punjab in the 15th century. Sikhs highly value their relationship with their holy book and their relationships with others.

Sikhs also believe people of all faiths have access to God and Sikhs are proponents of freedom of religion. They are against all forms of societal hierarchies. Although there are a significant number of Dalit Sikhs who are conscious of their low-caste status, there are not the same kind of atrocities, rapes and attacks against Dalit Sikh women as there are against other women in India. 

In images of the protests in the news and on social media, farmers of all faiths and castes can be seen joining together in their struggle. Many Sikh women who are farmers are now in the streets protesting alongside their husbands and others. Young girls are also on the roads in biting cold weather.

My heart aches for a similar expression of unity among Christians. Our tendency to fight among ourselves does not make our faith attractive. Do we really think our fights over nonessential doctrines of faith will mean anything in the kingdom of God or our love?

The Sikh “langar” meal is intended to bring people together. 

The Sikh practice of “langar” has also precipitated the most outstanding examples of charity and sustenance for the protesting farmers, whether they are Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims or Christians, which has built a community around food to sustain the protesters.

Sikh men and women have made chapatis, pizzas and sweets on the streets to feed hundreds of thousands of protestors for free, with donations from Sikh villages and temples.

Originally a Persian word, “langar” translates as “an almshouse” or “a place for the poor and needy.” In the Sikh tradition, it refers to a community kitchen, where everyone in need is provided with food, irrespective of caste, class, religion and gender.

These acts of immense generosity are not lost on India’s people. This is not foreign-funded aid but personal contributions from neighbor to neighbor.

We Christians observe Communion without practicing the community meal. We should, like the protesters, be eating together as brothers and sisters.

As we see in Scripture, Jesus regularly ate meals with his disciples. Jesus instituted the Holy Communion around the Last Supper. After his ascension, believers continued to gather to break bread. It is the basis of our worship.

Perhaps it is time for us to rethink how we do church in the post-COVID-19 world. The pandemic has shown us the incredible needs of children, women and men, regardless of faith and caste. The post-COVID world has shown us the incredible need for human community, which digital communities cannot replace.

We have come through a tough year. May we learn from this great struggle for human dignity in India, and may this be the year where we strive to heal what has been broken.   

(The Most Rev. Joseph D’Souza is the founder of Dignity Freedom Network, archbishop of the Anglican Good Shepherd Church of India and president of the All India Christian Council. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of Religion News Service.)

Farmers' protests in India are not just about land rights. They're about our very identity

These protesters are defending their culture — and the issues they're fighting have global implications

CANADA IS HOME TO THE LARGEST SIKH DIASPORA OUTSIDE OF THE PUNJAB

Raji Aujla, Jagdeesh Mann · for CBC News Opinion · Posted: Dec 12, 2020 

Protesting farmers shout slogans as they clash with police while attempting to move toward Delhi, at the border between Delhi and Haryana state on Nov. 27. Thousands of farmers in India faced tear gas and baton charges from police after they resumed their march to the capital against new farming laws that they fear will give more power to corporations and reduce their earnings. (Altaf Qadri/The Associated Press)


This is an opinion column by Raji Aujla and Jagdeesh Mann, both Punjabi-Canadians who live in B.C. For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ.

Over the past couple of weeks, you may have come across news stories of farmers protesting in India or local support protests in other countries, including Canada.

The farmers, the majority of whom are Sikh, have been protesting legislation in India that deregulates agricultural markets and opens them to private corporations. The farmers fear these "reforms" will lead to the eventual elimination of government price protections, which in turn will push them off their ancestral farmlands.

As descendents of Punjabi-Canadian farmers, we support this protest because the consequences of these bills are far greater than the loss of land assets. They threaten the essence of our culture and identity.

Indian farmers escalate protest against new laws with countrywide strike

To understand why Punjabi identity and culture are rooted in the land, consider Raji's mother, Gurbakhash Kaur Aujla.

She was raised on her family's land near the Himalayan foothills, as her ancestors were before her. The matriarchs in Raji's family anchored large households and worked shoulder to shoulder with the men on the family's wheat and dairy farms. For them, owning and working the land was integral to living within a culture that holds self-reliance, independence and living in tune with nature in high esteem.

After Raji's mother married, she and her husband immigrated to Canada and, like many other Sikh migrants, carried on their farming traditions. They settled in the Okanagan Valley and helped revive B.C.'s flagging fruit-farming sector, tending to orchards that grew apples, cherries and pears.

Raji Aujla at her family’s apple orchard in B.C.’s Okanagan Valley. (Submitted by Raji Aujla)

These farming traditions are passed on to subsequent generations. Although I, Raji, left the farm shortly after high school, I regularly feel its absence, especially at the times of year when the seasons turn. It's a twinge that, I suspect, is similar to what my parents felt when they arrived in this country — a disconnection from the natural world where everything has its own place.

This rootedness to Earth runs deep in our homeland of Punjab, a lush, fertile, agrarian region intersected by five large river systems. Agriculture is more than a livelihood; it is the bedrock of the region's language, culture and, in our case, our religion.

Guru Nanak — the founder of Sikhism, which emerged from Punjab — tilled his own fields. Metaphors of cultivation, harvests and seasons breathe through every chapter of the Sikh scripture we follow. The coda to Japji Sahib (our morning prayer) contains a homage to nature: "Pavan Guru Pani Pita, Mata Dharat Mahat." This translates to: "Air is the teacher, water the father, and the earth is the great mother."

CBC EXPLAINSWhat's behind the farmers' protests that are blocking highways in India

Knowing this context is crucial to understanding the depth of anguish and desperation among the tens of thousands of farmers marching on India's capital, New Delhi.

Their sense of identity — economically and culturally — is at stake.

Households in the diaspora have been glued to the news, watching helplessly as this conflict unfolds. Okanagan farmers have reiterated how crucial the land is to their sense of self.

"Their attachment to their land is nothing less than a child's attachment to its mother," said the group that organized a recent rally in Penticton, B.C.

Even now, I, Raji, identify as a farmer's daughter before anything else, accountable to land, not politics. My favourite childhood memories include working alongside my paternal grandfather and my parents during the autumn harvest.

Gurbakhash Kaur Aujla, right, and her daughter, Raji Aujla, come from a long line of farmers in both India and Canada. (Submitted by Raji Aujla)

So our hearts break when we see Sikh elders — seniors like Raji's grandfather — being attacked with water cannons, tear gas and batons while protesting peacefully in India.

These elders are the freedom riders of this protest, with little to gain personally but with everything to give to the next generation: their plots, their traditions, their humility and their centuries-old way of life that was bestowed upon them.

Hundreds of vehicles join Surrey convoy in solidarity with Indian farmers

This standoff between family farmers and multinationals in India is also a standoff between diversity and monoculture, between living locally and living unsustainably.

Our country has long protected its agricultural sector and in doing so protects its local economy. So, when you scroll social media feeds and see videos of the turmoil in India, know that this isn't a local and distant squabble. It's a global issue extending to Canadians as well.

We consume the benefits of these farmers' labour, from the cotton of our crewnecks to the spices in our lattes. Turmeric, cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, black pepper, pomegranates — we have Indian farmers to thank for this supply.

This land is at the heart of Punjab's culture, and without it, Punjab's traditions are imperilled. There is no "market price" that any corporation could ever offer to adequately square the demise of these or any other family farming traditions.

Protesters gather outside India’s consulate in Vancouver on Dec. 2 to protest the proposed regulations affecting farmers in India. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

Do you have a strong opinion that could change how people think about an issue? A personal story that can educate or help others? We want to hear from you.

CBC Vancouver is looking for British Columbians who want to write 500-600-word opinion and point of view pieces. Send us a pitch at bcvoices@cbc.ca and we'll be in touch.


Read more opinion and point of view columns from British Columbians

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Raji Aujla  is the founder of Willendorf Cultural Planning and Newest Magazine, focusing on better representation and inclusion of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour voices in Canadian arts, media, and culture. Follow her on Twitter: @goodbeti.

SASK Protesters rally to support farmers challenging controversial laws in India

© Laura Sciarpelletti/CBC Farmer protesters have faced violence from the Indian government. In response, there were 200 shoes lined up at the Legislative building on Wednesday to represent the people who have lost their lives in India during the unrest.

Regina's blistering cold weather did not deter dozens of people from chanting "No farmer, no food!", holding posters and voicing their outrage during a solidarity rally in front of the legislative building Wednesday.

They were supporting Indian farmers who have been protesting controversial agricultural laws in India since August.

The laws will change the rules around the sale, pricing and storage of crops from the country's agricultural regions. Farmers there say the changes will ravage the livelihoods of small farmers and eliminate some of the government supports that regulate prices and allow private companies to exploit the market.

Since the summer, tens of thousands have marched to New Delhi, India's capital, where they have clashed with police and set up protest camps.

Protesters have faced violence from the Indian government.

Gagandeep Singh, organizer of Wednesday's rally, says the Canadian protests largely began in Victoria, British Columbia. Protesters displayed 200 shoes in front of the B.C. Legislative Building. The shoes represent many of the people who have lost their lives in India during the unrest.

© Laura Sciarpelletti/CBC Protester Simranjot Singh stands in front of the Saskatchewan Legislative Building in Regina, where he is showing solidarity with farmers in India.

B.C. protesters then challenged residents of Alberta to do the same and mailed the shoes over. Saskatchewan was next to receive the shoes and do their part to support the farmers in India.

"Canada is known for its diversity. It's a multicultural society here. Canada is always standing for human rights ... Not only are those farm bills affecting the farmers negatively, also they're violating the human rights," said Singh.

The protest followed public health guidelines for COVID-19, and had volunteers circulating to ensure everyone in attendance was wearing a mask and physical distancing.

Trudeau voiced concern

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has voiced concern over the Indian government's response to the protesters.

Despite anger from an Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, who called Trudeau's comments "ill informed," the prime minister reiterated his support.

"Canada will always stand up for the right of peaceful protest anywhere around the world, and we're pleased to see moves toward de-escalation and dialogue," Trudeau said.

But Singh says he wants Trudeau to do more.

"We want the Canadian government to speak up ... to step up for the farmers. We want Mr. Justin Trudeau to speak up for the farmers. We want him to talk with the Indian government."

Singh says he thinks the Indian government will take notice of the solidarity protests in Canada.

"This thing is going to pressurize them too. That's why we're standing up here. We can't go back to India right right now in this COVID. So that's how we are giving our support to the farmers who are sitting on the outskirts [of New Delhi]. We just want to strengthen them and say we are with you and you guys are doing good and we love you for that."

© Danish Siddiqui/Reuters People attend a Maha Panchayat or grand village council meeting as part of a farmers' protest against farm laws at Kandela village in Jind district in the northern state of Haryana, India, on Feb. 3.

Moe agrees with Indian government

While the protesters in Regina want the Canadian government to speak out against the new laws, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe made it clear he supports the Indian government's position.

Moe says the Sask. government is often in contact with members of the government of India.

"As painful and challenging as the discussion is in India, I think Saskatchewan can provide an example of moving through the years away from sustenance agriculture to producing more and decreasing your risks of lack of food in your community and in your country, and ultimately moving toward a market-based agriculture system that provides opportunities for higher production and sustainability," said Moe. 

© Laura Sciarpelletti/CBC Regina's cold weather didn't deter dozens from chanting, holding posters and voicing their outrage at a solidarity rally at the Legislative building.

The premier pointed to the removal of the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB), a former mandatory producer marketing system for wheat and barley in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and parts of B.C. During the time of CWB, it was illegal for any farmer in areas under the organization's jurisdiction to sell their wheat and barley through any other channel than the CWB.

"It has created opportunities for us to increase our production. And now we are one of the highest producing agricultural regions in the world. We have a high quality product that we sell very competitively," Moe said.

Saskatchewan now has a trade office in India. Moe says his government has visited India and met with many farmers, and values the trading relationship between the country and the province.

MODI'S NEOLIBERAL GLOBALIZATION 

Changes in Indian farm laws could benefit Canada, 

(NOT REALLY)expert(s) says

"I mean people are still scratching their heads trying to figure out what the ramifications of these reforms are," 

SAY THREE EXPERTS  VS ONE NEOLIBERAL SHILL

VANCOUVER — Changes to India's farm laws could open up the second most populous country to Canadian farmers, although a lot remains unknown about how a liberalized market might affect nations looking to export their produce, experts say.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

A freer market in India would help corporations and countries that see it as a destination to sell produce, said Shashi Enarth, an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia's institute for resources, environment and sustainability.

"It'll be good for Canada if these three bills are introduced and they sail through," he said in a recent interview.

He said the bills stipulate "that you can sell (agricultural produce) anywhere you want, you can buy whatever you want, and so that way it is good for Canada."

India recently introduced three farm bills that constitute a step toward greater liberalization of her agricultural market.

But after two months of protests by farmers, the Supreme Court of India has temporarily put on hold their implementation and ordered the creation of an independent committee of experts to negotiate with opponents of the legislation.

THIS IS WHAT HARPER DID TO THE CANADIAN WHEAT BOARD

Among other things, the bills would allow farmers to sell their produce outside government-run market committees, and they would remove minimum support prices for certain products.

They also allow farmers to forge agreements with private companies to produce a certain amount, which is then sold directly to the companies.

The protesting farmers say they fear the government would stop buying grain at minimum guaranteed prices under the laws and subject them to corporate exploitation by driving down prices for their products.

The farmers are continuing a blockade of highways connecting New Delhi with the country's north. They have threatened to intensify the protest by organizing a massive tractor rally in New Delhi during Republic Day celebrations on Jan. 26.

Data from Statistics Canada show India was the world's largest market for legumes, with imports valued at $1.4 billion in 2018. Canada was the country's second largest supplier of pulses, such as lentils, dried peas, beans and chickpeas.

Raji Jayaraman, an associate professor at the University of Toronto's Munk school of global affairs and public policy, said Canadian exporters may benefit in the medium to long term, especially if there are further steps toward liberalizing agricultural markets in India.

“The farm bills don't directly affect tariffs on agricultural imports to India, so any effect is going to be indirect,” she said.

How Canadian agricultural exports fare will depend on how the changes affect the prices of agricultural commodities, she added. If Indian agricultural corporations exert their market power, then the new laws might result in lower prices received by farmers and higher prices paid by consumers for agricultural commodities, she said.

“Ironically, this may help Canadian farmers who are able to sell their products to the Indian market more cheaply.”

Greg Northey, Pulse Canada's vice-president of corporate affairs, said the organization is watching the developments in India closely and considering how they might affect farmers here.

"It's an important market for sure, one that we care about and one that we've had a long-standing relationship with, and one we want to continue to export to," said Northey, whose organization represents growers, traders and processors.

Most pulses in Canada are grown in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, with bean production concentrated in southern Ontario and Quebec, its website says.

The organization is analyzing how the new laws in India would impact Canadian farmers, he said. But they don’t have a good understanding yet and haven’t come across an analysis of how changes in India’s laws will affect imports and exports, Northey said.

Jayaraman said a lot of people are fearful about the liberalization of agricultural markets in India because it is a large employer. The majority of farmers in India own less than one hectare of farmland and operate on a subsistence basis.

"And so, anything that touches and reforms agricultural markets is going to have ramifications for subsistence livelihood for hundreds of millions of people," she added.

Jayaraman also cautioned that the future of the Indian farm market is still unknown under the proposed laws.

"I mean people are still scratching their heads trying to figure out what the ramifications of these reforms are," she said.

"I'm going to say the jury is out. It's really going to depend on how the market evolves as a result of these reforms."

— With files from The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 21, 2021

Hina Alam, The Canadian Press

Railway unions extend support to farmers’ call for Bharat Bandh

The railway unions on Monday announced that their members will hold rallies and demonstrations on Tuesday in a show of solidarity with the farmers.

INDIA Updated: Dec 07, 2020

HT Correspondent
Hindustan Times, New Delhi

A long queue of tractors and trolleys of protesting farmers parked in the middle of the highway near Singhu (Delhi-Haryana) border in Sonipat district of Haryana on Monday. (Ravi Kumar/HT PHOTO)

Farmers demanding the repeal of three farms laws received a shot in the arm on Monday with two of the biggest unions of the national transporter-- The All India Railwaymen’s Federation (AIRF) and the National Federation of Indian Railwaymen (NFIR) – extending their support for Bharat Bandh on Tuesday.

The railway unions on Monday announced that their members will hold rallies and demonstrations on Tuesday in a show of solidarity with the farmers who have called the bandh.

All India Railwaymen’s Federation (AIRF) general secretary Shiva Gopal Mishra met the agitating farmers at Delhi’s Singhu border and assured them that members of the railway union are with them in their fight against the new agriculture laws.

“We have written to our affiliates all over the Indian Railways to extend support to the farmers in their struggle to achieve their genuine demands, on December 8, 2020 during Bharat Bandh’. I have already advised AIRF affiliates to organise agitation programmes, dharna, demonstrations and rallies during lunch hour against anti-farmer policies of the Government of India. I hope that the government will give cognizance to the genuine demands of the farmers and redress the same at the earliest,” he said in a statement.

M Raghavaiah, general secretary, NFIR in a statement appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to accept the demands of the farmers and said that the railway families are with the “annadatas” in their struggle against the anti-farm laws which are “detrimental to the farmer community of the nation”.

“The NFIR general secretary advised all its affiliate unions throughout the Indian Railways to conduct dharnas, rallies and demonstrations in solidarity with the farmers’ struggle and against anti-farmer decisions of the central government,” the statement said.

The two unions comprising nearly 13 lakh current railway employees and around 20 lakh retired employees, are the latest to show solidarity with agitating farmers. 

Support for farmers have also poured in from the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS) and the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU).

The All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) has also extended its support.

“Earlier it was decided that the transport fraternity from Northern India will participate in the Bharat Bandh announced by farmers, but now it has been resolved in the meeting that transport associations and unions in other parts of the country will join the Bharat Bandh of farmers and voluntarily suspend their operations on December 8, 2020,” the AIMTC said in a statement.

Bandh (Devanagari: बंध) (literally: shutting down) is a form of protest used by political activists in South Asian countries such as India and Nepal. It is similar to a general strike. During a bandh, a political party or a community declare a general strike.^[1] For example, a Bharat bandh is a call for a bandh across India, and a bandh can also be called for an individual state or municipality.

India's farmer protests: Why new farm laws have sparked outrage

Angry Indian farmers have abandoned their fields to stage one of the country's biggest ever protests.

© DIPTENDU DUTTA/AFP/AFP via Getty Images Indian protesters at a rally against the new farming laws in Siliguri, West Bengal, on February 6.

By Jessie Yeung, CNN

3/26/2021

Since November, tens of thousands of farmers have been living in tents at sprawling camps pitched on highways outside the capital New Delhi.

Large barricades erected by the police and topped with barbed wire stand a few hundred meters from the camp, preventing the farmers from encroaching any closer to the center of Delhi. At times, violence has broken out during demonstrations.

The farmers are fighting new farming laws passed last September, which they say will devastate their livelihoods. The government says the reforms are needed to modernize the country's agricultural industry.

With negotiations between the government and the farmers' unions at a standstill, the protests don't appear to be ending anytime soon. Here's what you need to know about the situation.


Why are the farmers protesting the new laws?

For decades, the Indian government has offered guaranteed prices to farmers for certain crops, creating a stable guide to make decisions and investments for the following crop cycle.

Under the previous laws, farmers had to sell their goods at auction at their state's Agricultural Produce Market Committee, where they were guaranteed to receive at least the government-agreed minimum price. There were restrictions on who could buy, and prices were capped for essential commodities.

Three new laws, initiated by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, dismantled this committee structure, instead allowing farmers to sell their goods to anyone for any price.

Modi says this gives farmers more freedom to do things such as sell directly to buyers without a middle man, and sell to other states or large grocery chains.

But many farmers argue the laws will allow big companies to drive down prices. While farmers could sell crops at higher prices if the demand is there, conversely, they could struggle to meet the minimum price in years when there is too much supply.


Why is this a political issue?

This isn't the first time that large protests have rocked India, the world's largest democracy -- but this time, it poses a unique challenge for Modi.

Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for about 58% of India's 1.3 billion residents, and farmers are the biggest voter bloc in the country, making farming a central political issue. Angering the farmers could see Modi lose a significant chunk of votes at the next general election in 2024.



Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have tried to win over farmers with a number of policy proposals in recent years. In 2014, the BJP said all crop prices should be fixed at a minimum of 50% higher than production costs. And in 2016, Modi set a target of doubling the income of farmers by 2022.

The government insists that the new laws are a good thing, since increasing market competition could boost farmers' income. Modi says the new laws could also open India's agricultural industry to global markets, and attract private investment.

"These reforms have not only served to unshackle our farmers but also given them new rights and opportunities," Modi said in November.


When did the protests start?

The mass protests began soon after the laws passed in September.

In November, infuriated farmers drove in tractor conveys from around India to set up multiple blockades at New Delhi's borders. Thousands marched from other nearby states to the city, where violence soon erupted, with police firing tear gas and water cannons to stop them from entering the capital.

The protests continued throughout December, with supporters across the country participating in labor and hunger strikes. At times, demonstrations swelled to more than 100,000 people on Delhi's outskirts -- though largely peaceful, there were occasional flare-ups of violence and scuffles with police.

The government has faced criticism for how it has handled the protests, particularly the violent clashes between farmers, their supporters and Delhi police during a tractor parade on Republic Day in January.

In a joint statement after the confrontation, 16 opposition parties accused Modi and the BJP of using excessive force, and being "arrogant, adamant and undemocratic in their response."

Soon afterward, authorities imposed several internet shutdowns, citing the need to maintain public safety.

At the camps on the Delhi border, security forces keep watch from the outer edges -- they have not tried to clear the camp, likely because it would be politically unpopular.

According to Samyukta Kisan Morcha, the umbrella body representing protesting farmers, at least 147 farmers have died during the protests due to causes including suicide, road accidents and exposure to cold weather. Authorities have not given an official figure on protester deaths.


Has there been any progress with negotiations?

Government leaders have failed to reach any agreement or compromise with leaders of more than 30 farmers' unions despite months of negotiation.

Officials suggested amendments to the three laws in December, including a proposal that state governments would be able to impose fees on private firms -- but farmers rejected these overtures, alleging the government was "insincere" in its efforts.

In mid-January, India's Supreme Court temporarily suspended the three laws, in the hopes the farmers might "come to the negotiating table with confidence and good faith."

Several days later, the government announced that it was willing to suspend the laws for another 12 to 18 months, while it worked with farmers' unions to seek a long-term compromise.

But protests have continued, with some farmers vowing not to leave until the laws are fully repealed.

The past week alone has seen farmers block highways and hold rallies in several states, with police detaining a number of protesters.

 

Farmers Struggle Far from over

Corporate Capture of India’s Agri Sector Continues

by Colin Todhunter / October 20th, 2023

Bayer, which profits from various environmentally harmful and disease-causing chemicals like glyphosate, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) “to develop resource-efficient, climate-resilient solutions for crops, varieties, crop protection, weed and mechanization”. 

The ICAR, an apex public sector institution, is responsible for co-ordinating agricultural education and research in India. Predatory corporations like Bayer attempt to co-opt government agencies that can provide access to extensive networks in order to wield influence and market products. It’s a key business strategy. 

And this is not lost on the Peoples’ Commission on Public Sector and Services (PCPSS), which includes eminent academics, jurists, erstwhile administrators, trade unionists and social activists. In a recently released statement, it expressed concern that Bayer will exploit the ICAR’s vast infrastructure to pursue its own commercial plans within India.  

And those commercial plans are clear: to boost sales of toxic proprietary products by opening up new markets in India as sales stagnate or plummet elsewhere.  

For example, it was reported in July that German-based Bayer expects to take a €2.5bn ($2.8bn) hit due to slower demand for its glyphosate-based products. Penetrating the huge Indian market represents a massive cash cow for foreign corporations, especially if their genetically engineered (GE), herbicide-tolerant food crops get the go ahead. Proprietary GE seeds are designed to be used with agrochemicals like the herbicide glyphosate.  

An analysis of a database of 2018’s top-selling ‘crop protection products’ revealed that the world’s leading agrochemical companies made more than 35% of their sales from pesticides classed as highly hazardous to people, animals or ecosystems. The investigation identified billions of dollars of income for agrochemical giants Bayer, BASF, Corteva, FMC and Syngenta from chemicals found by regulatory authorities to pose health hazards like cancer or reproductive failure. 

This investigation was based on an analysis of a huge dataset of pesticide sales from the agribusiness intelligence company Phillips McDougall. 

Inadequate state funding is driving the ICAR to enter into agreements with companies like Bayer. However, the PCPSS says that such MoUs make a mockery of the stated government aim to boost self-reliance in India’s agricultural sector.  

It argues that considering corporations like Bayer promote the use of toxic chemicals in agriculture, a partnership between the ICAR and Bayer of this kind is irreconcilable with the nationwide mission recently launched by Prime Minister Modi to propagate natural farming as a more sustainable alternative. In this respect, the ICAR’s MoU with Bayer is clearly counter-productive and out of place with the stated priority of the government. 

The PCPSS notes that there are several ICAR-sponsored research institutions and state-level agricultural universities which are engaged in outstanding research relevant to Indian agriculture. A number of states have launched their own natural farming missions to free debt trapped farmers from the use of costly chemicals and other unsustainable practices. The PCPSS says it is therefore not clear as to why the ICAR should choose to promote Bayer in multiple areas of agricultural research.  

Instead of Institutions promoting agrichemical products marketed by Bayer, the PCPSS asserts that the ICAR should shift its focus to agroecological approaches, biological inputs and integrated farming systems, which will help Indian agriculture in the long run. 

Although the government revoked the three farm laws passed in 2021 that would have sounded a neoliberal death knell for Indian agriculture, it now seems to be accelerating the marketisation and corporatisation of the sector through other means. The year-long farmers’ agitation led to the government to revoke the farm laws, but these types of MoUs are one way of achieving what the farm laws failed to do.  

The PCPSS wants the government to assure farmers a minimum support price for their produce on the lines recommended by the Swaminathan Committee so that farming may become a remunerative activity. It also urges the government to review the ICAR-Bayer MoU and similar agreements entered into by other official agencies with large corporates, not only in agriculture but also in other fields.  

One such MoU was entered into by the Indian government in April 2021 with Microsoft, allowing its local partner, CropData, to leverage a master database of farmers. The MoU seems to be part of the AgriStack policy initiative, which involves the roll out of ‘disruptive’ technologies and digital databases in the agricultural sector. 

Microsoft is supposed to help farmers with post-harvest management solutions by building a collaborative platform and capturing agriculture datasets such as crop yields, weather data, market demand and prices (data is the financially lucrative ‘new oil’ for those who own it). In turn, this would create a farmer interface for ‘smart’ agriculture, including post-harvest management and distribution. 

CropData is to be granted access to a government database of 50 million farmers and their land records. As the database is developed, it will include farmers’ personal details, profiles of land held, production information and financial details. Microsoft will know more about farmers than farmers know about themselves.  

The stated aim is to use digital technology to improve financing, inputs, cultivation and supply and distribution. The unstated aims are to impose a certain model of farming, promote profitable corporate technologies and products, encourage market (corporate) dependency among farmers and create a land market by establishing a system of ‘conclusive titling’ of all land in the country so that ownership can be identified and land can then be bought or taken away. 

The plan is that, as farmers lose access to land or can be identified as legal owners, predatory institutional investors and large agribusinesses will buy up and amalgamate holdings, facilitating the further roll out of high-input, corporate-dependent industrial agriculture (and the massive health and environmental costs that it entails). 

Indian agriculture has witnessed gross underinvestment over the years, whereby it is now wrongly depicted as a basket case and underperforming and ripe for a sell off to those very interests who had a stake in its underinvestment. 

The PCPSS says it is not clear as to why the ICAR should choose to promote Bayer in multiple areas of agricultural research, especially given the government’s stated commitment to natural farming.  

However, India has submitted itself to the regime of foreign finance, awaiting signals on how much it can spend, giving up any pretence of economic sovereignty and leaving the space open for private capital to move in and capture markets.  

That much has been made clear by the Research Unit for Political Economy in the article ‘Modi’s Farm Produce Act Was Authored Thirty Years Ago, in Washington DC’. The piece states that current agricultural ‘reforms’ are part of a broader process of imperialism’s increasing capture of the Indian economy. 

A 1991 World Bank memorandum set out the programme for India. At the time, India was still in its foreign exchange crisis of 1990-91 and had just been subjected to an IMF-monitored ‘structural adjustment’ programme that involved shifting 400 million people from rural India to the cities and corporatising agriculture.  

The current administration is attempting to dramatically accelerate the implementation of the above programme. The aim is to drastically dilute the role of the public sector in agriculture, reducing it to a facilitator of private (foreign) capital.  

There has been an ongoing strategy to make farming financially non-viable for many of India’s farmers. The number of cultivators in India declined from 166 million to 146 million between 2004 and 2011. Some 6,700 left farming each day. Between 2015 and 2022, the number of cultivators was likely to decrease to around 127 million. 

We have seen the running down of the sector for decades, spiralling input costs, withdrawal of government assistance and the impacts of cheap, subsidised imports which depress farmers’ incomes.  

The PCPSS is not the first to express concern about the deepening penetration of large, profit-hungry corporations. In late November 2018, a charter was released by the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (an umbrella group of around 250 farmers’ organisations) expressing similar sentiments. 

The charter also expressed alarm about the economic, ecological, social and existential crisis of Indian agriculture as well as the persistent state neglect of the sector and discrimination against farming communities.  

The repeal of the three farm laws in late 2021 was little more than a tactical manoeuvre. The powerful global interests behind these laws did not simply disappear. As big tech giants team up with traditional agribusiness companies like Bayer, the goal to capture and radically restructure the sector remains and is gaining momentum. The farmers’ struggle in India is far from over. 

Colin Todhunter is an independent writer specialising in development, food and agriculture. You can read his new e-book Food, Dependency and Dispossession: Resisting the New World Order for free here. Read other articles by Colin.