Thousands of farmers to take action against Monsanto in India
Sun, 29 Nov 1998

>>=============================
>>Date: Thu, 26 Nov 1998 17:48:27 +0530
>>From: "PROF. NANJUNDA SWAMY
>>Subject: Cremate Monsanto!!
>>
>>
>>Dear friends,
>>
>>Monsanto's field trials in Karnataka will be reduced to ashes, starting on
>>Saturday. Two days ago the Minister of Agriculture of Karnataka gave a
>>press conference where he was forced by the journalists to disclose the
>>three sites where field trials with Bt cotton are being conducted (for
>>background information about the trials, see appendix 2 at the bottom).
>>KRRS activists have already contacted the owners of these fields, to
>>explain them which action will be taken, and for what reasons, and to let
>>them know that the KRRS will cover any loses they will suffer. On Saturday
>>the 28th of November, at midday, thousands of farmers will occupy and burn
>>down the three fields in front of the cameras, in an open, announced
>>action of civil disobedience.
>>
>>These actions will start a campaign of direct action by farmers against
>>biotechnology, called Operation 'Cremation Monsanto', which will not stop
>>until all the corporate killers like Monsanto, Novartis, Pioneer etc leave
>>the country. Farmers' leaders from the states of Maharastra, Gujarat and
>>Madhya Pradesh (states where Monsanto is also conducting field trials)
>>were yesterday in Bangalore to prepare the campaign.
>>
>>The campaign will run under the following slogans:
>>
>>STOP GENETIC ENGINEERING
>>
>>NO PATENTS ON LIFE
>>
>>CREMATE MONSANTO
>>
>>BURY THE WTO
>>
>>along with a more specific message for all those who have invested on
>>Monsanto:
>>
>>YOU SHOULD RATHER TAKE YOUR MONEY OUT BEFORE WE REDUCE IT TO ASHES.
>>
>>We know that stopping biotechnology in India will not be of much help to
>>us if it continues in other countries, since the threats that it poses do
>>not stop at the borders. We also think that the kind of actions that will
>>be going on in India have the potential not only to kick those corporate
>>killers out of our country: if we play our cards right at global level and
>>coordinate our work, these actions can also pose a major challenge to the
>>survival of these corporations in the stock markets. Who wants to invest
>>in a mountain of ashes, in offices that are constantly being squatted (and
>>if necessary even destroyed) by activists?
>>
>>For these reasons, we are making an international call for direct action
>>against Monsanto and the rest of the biotech gang. This call for action
>>will hopefully inspire all the people who are already doing a brilliant
>>work against biotech, and many others who so far have not been very active
>>on the issue, to join hands in a quick, effective worldwide effort.
>>
>>This is a very good moment to target Monsanto, since it has run out of
>>cash in its megalomaniac attempt to monopolise the life industry in record
>>time. It is going now through a hard time of layoffs and restructuration
>>in a desperate effort to survive, since it cannot pay its bills. It is
>>also a good time because several recent scandals (like the pulping of the
>>Monsanto edition of The Ecologist, the whole "Terminator Technology"
>>affaire, the illegal introduction of Bt Cotton in Zimbabwe, etc) have
>>contributed to its profile as corporate killer, which, being the creators
>>of Vietnam War's Agent Orange and rBHG, was already good enough, anyhow.
>>
>>We are hence making a call to:
>>
>>* Take direct actions against biotech TNCs, particularly Monsanto (be it
>>squatting or burning their fields, squatting or destroying their offices,
>>etc)
>>* Maintain the local or/and national press informed about all the actions
>>going on around the world
>>* Take direct actions at stock exchanges targeting Monsanto, to draw
>>attention on its state of bankruptcy
>>
>>We are making this call for action on the line of Peoples' Global Action
>>(PGA), a worldwide network of peoples' movements, in order to emphasize
>>the political analysis beyond our opposition to biotechnology. This
>>analysis does not only take environmental concerns into account, and is
>>not limited to the defense of food security - it attacks neoliberal
>>globalisation as a whole, the WTO regime as its most important tool, and
>>the global power structures (G8, NATO, etc) as the root of all these
>>problems. You will find the complete political analysis on the manifesto
>>of the PGA, which you will find in the web page
>><<http://www.agp.org/>http://www.agp.org/><http://www.agp.org/>www.agp.org
>>
>>The fact that this call for action takes place on line with PGA also has
>>other implications:
>>
>>* We are calling ONLY for non-violent direct actions. Non-violence in
>>this context means that we should respect all (non-genetically modified)
>>living beings, including policemen and the people who work for these TNCs
>>* The campaign will take place in a decentralised manner, and nobody
>>should speak on behalf of other people involved in the campaign without
>>their consent (also not on behalf of PGA, of course); however, people are
>>welcome to report about the actions of others without pretending to
>>represent them.
>>
>>If you want to be informed of what is going on around the world on this
>>matter, please send a message to listproc@gn.apc.org with the message
>><subscribe pga-ge> on the text body. This way you will be informed about
>>what is going on in India and in other countries. (The list will be active
>>a few hours after we send this message).
>>
>>Please, try not write back to this address, since we will be madly busy in
>>the next days with the mobilisations. However, if you have good contacts
>>with international media (CNN, BBC, TV5, etc) and want to help us to get
>>them here to cover the bonfire at Monsanto's field please let us know as
>>soon as possible.
>>
>>Friendly greetings,
>>
>>Prof. Nanjundaswamy
>>President, Karnataka State Farmers Association
>>
>>********************
>>
>>Appendix 1: "Police Protection to all American Companies in Bangalore
>>City", article appeared in "Samykta Karnataka", November 25th
>>
>>Police Protection to all American Companies in Bangalore City
>>
>>Bangalore Nov. 25th
>>
>>It has come to light that the American Ambassador in Dehli has written to
>>the Government of the State of Karnataka asking to provide a strong police
>>protection to all American companies in the city.
>>
>>Pointing out the previous repeated attacks on American companies by
>>'miscreants', the Ambassador has requested the State Government to create
>>an atmosphere without fear and anxiety for them to work.
>>
>>He has stressed the need for a special security for companies related to
>>science and technology and also the their hundreds of foreign companies in
>>the city.
>>
>>Tight Security for Monsanto
>>
>>Anticipating attack on the offices of Monsanto in Bangalore, tight
>>security has been provided from today, top police sources confirmed.
>>
>>Police have said in their note that they are providing security for the
>>company owning the Terminator Technology and having the right to sell
>>seeds which do not germinate for the second time. In a city where most of
>>the TNCs are based, the present developments have made them to work with
>>fear and anxiety.
>>
>>(Translated from Kannada)
>>
>>*********************
>>
>>Appendix 2: Monsanto under siege in India, message sent on 23rd November
>>1998
>>
>> **please distribute as widely as possible**
>>
>>Dear friends,
>>
>>On Monday the 16th the public was informed by Indian newspapers that
>>Monsanto (well known in India for the Terminator Technology) has been
>>conducting 40 field trials with genetically manipulated cotton across five
>>Indian states for the last three months. Monsanto is testing a hybrid
>>cotton seed that has been genetically engineered to produce the Bacillus
>>thuringiensis (Bt) enzyme. The permission granted by the federal
>>government in Delhi pertains the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andrah
>>Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Now that peoples'
>>movements are starting to mobilise on this matter, the same central
>>government that granted the permission is inviting Monsanto to leave the
>>country.
>>
>>Monsanto has formed a joint venture with Mahyco (a 30 years old seed
>>company) to carry out these field trials. According to the media, Monsanto
>>now owns 26 percent of Mahyco.
>>
>>In the rest of the message I include some excerpts of the newspaper
>>coverage of this affaire. We will keep you informed of the developments in
>>this part of the world, which will most probably include a number of
>>nonviolent direct actions to burn down the genetically modified crops and
>>kick Monsanto physically out of the country. We encourage you to do
>>similar actions all over the world maybe we can make Monsanto's
>>shareholders feel our pressure reflected on the value of their stocks.
>>
>>Friendly greetings,
>>
>>Prof. Nanjundaswamy President, Karnataka State Farmers Association
>>
>>
>>'Curiously though agriculture is a state subject, Karnataka Government
>>seems unaware of the trials going on in the State. Agriculture Minister C.
>>Byre Gowda admitted that he had been informend of the ongoing trials but
>>was unaware of where they were being undertaken in Karnataka or in
>>Maharashtra.'
>>(The Indian Express, Bangalore edition, cover page, 16th
>>November)
>>
>>The trials started three months ago although the 'Ministry of Science and
>>Technology has admitted that it does not have the requisite regulatoy
>>regimen to assess the risk of dealing with such transgenic material for
>>which biosafty guidelines have only now been issued.'
>>(The Indian Express, Bangalore edition, cover page, 18th November).
>>
>>In that sense, the
>>University of Agriculture Science (UAS) Bangalore warned that 'The genetic
>>modification involved in geneticlly engineered hybrid seeds is a concealed
>>one that cannot be ascertaiened with existing regulations of the seed act
>>and quarantine.' (ibid.) B.R. Hedge, Director of Research at UAS, affirmed
>>that 'The Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) was only now
>>starting to look at ways which regulatory mechnisms should be put in place
>>to check the clandestine import of such genetic material. Nevertheless,
>>for the moment we have nothing ready'
>>(The Indian Express, Bangalore edition, page 9, 18th November)
>>
>>The KRRS has issued a deadline to the State Government and Monsanto to
>>disclose the places where the trials are being conducted and the exact
>>description of the seeds that are being tested. '"Monsanto should reveal
>>immediately where the trials are being conducted" failing which "direct
>>action would follow on the company's office in Malleswaram" he [Prof.
>>Nanjundaswamy] threatened. "The government can foist 100 cases of attempt
>>to murder [against us], but we will throw it [Monsanto] out... first from
>>Karnataka, next from Maharashtra" ... The former professor of law wondered
>>how the State's Agriculture Minister could be unaware of the trials. "The
>>Government cannot continue for three minutes" considering its
>>irresponsible behaviour, he said'. (The Indian Express, Bangalore edition,
>>page 4, 20th November) 'Monsanto will have to leave the country within a
>>week. Otherwise we will be forced to throw them out. We have given a day's
>>ultimatum to the company to furnish details about the seed trials
>>undertaken in the state and the country.'
>>(Prof. Nanjundasway in The Times of India, Bangalore edition, page 5 20th
>>November).
>>
>>Although the field trials are testing BT cotton, the Indian press and
>>politiciancs seem to be rather confused and are mixing up this issue with
>>the terminator technology, which has been used by opponents of Monsanto as
>>an example of the destructive potential of this corporation. However, this
>>confusion is making it easier for Monsanto to reject any accusation by
>>denying the use of this technology. Here are some statements about this
>>issue taken from the last days press.
>>
>>'Second and Third World markets are the main targets for the terminator
>>seed.'
>>William Phelps, Spokesman, Department of Agriculture, USA (quoted in The
>>Indian Express, Bangalore edition, cover page, 18 November)
>>
>>'It is not merly the economic factors that threaten the poor farmers of
>>the world, but it is nature of the Terminator gene itself, since the
>>pollen from the crops carrying the Terminator will infect the fields of
>>farmers who either reject, or cannot afford the technology.'
>>(UAS, quoted in The Indian Express, Bangalore edition, cover page, 18
>>November)
>>
>>'This is a terminator of biodiversity, terminator of food security. It is
>>a damaging technology because pollination pollution can render all
>>indigenous varieties sterile. This gene will slowly remove all
>>characteristics of germination from seeds. This means the harvest seeds
>>cannot be used for sowing during the next seseason. It will also force
>>seed dependency on farmers who cannot afford to buy seeds. Monoculture was
>>introduced in the country in 1965 with an aim to provide food security.
>>When Green Revolution Technology introduced monoculture it was thought the
>>method would be very effective. Terminatorgene is being dubbed as a second
>>Green Revolution Technology. This, too, will prove ineffective.
>>Genetically modified seeds are polluting the local species. It will not
>>solve the food problem, in fact it will terminate food security along with
>>biodiversity.'
>>(Prof. Nanjundaswamy, quoted in The Times of India, Bangalore edition,
>>page 5, 20th November)
>>
>>The sincerity of Monsanto can be easily assessed by the usual roguish
>>reply it gave to the critics: 'Monsanto will only bring to India, products
>>and technologies which are consistent with what India wants and its laws
>>aprove.... Monsanto has not, and will not, bring to India any technology
>>that will adversely affect the environment, current agricuture practices
>>and force farmers to use any technology it provides.'
>>(Monsanto statement quoted in Deccan Herald, Bangalore edition, page 9,
>>21th November)
>>
>>Yesterday the Union Minister for Rural Development, Babagouda Patil,
>>declared that 'Monsanto wil be asked to leave India'
>>(headline, The Times of India, Bangalore edition, page 5, 23 November).
>>
>>'He said that he recieved Information that Monsanto is developing and
>>conducting field trials on the "terminator gene" seeds at a private farm
>>in Ranebennur taluk of Haveri district. "I have informed the Prime
>>Minister and Union Agriculture Minister", he said. He said he knew the
>>complications arising out of the issue due to WTO stipulations. "But the
>>government will not compromise on this issue as crores of farmers' lives
>>will be in danger. The terminator gene seed will pose a serious threat to
>>Indian agriculture." The Union cabinet is expected to deliberate on the
>>issue besides initiating measures to close Monsanto's buisness operations
>>in the country... He said that the Center would not hesitate to withdraw
>>from WTO if its provisions threaten our very existence.'
>>(The Times of India, Bangalore edition, page 5 23rd November)

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