www.asianfarmers.org

By Tsai Shu Hui, AFA

PAKISAMA, together with AFA, organized national consultation – dialogue on ASEAN economic and trade issues that will tackle and analyze the rice crisis in the perspective of the ASEAN region. Multi-sectoral representatives were present in the forum. This included people from the NGO community, farmer groups, and so on. The forum was held on April 22-23, 2008 at the College of Social Work and Community Development, UP Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines.

The National Consultation-Diealogue on ASEAN Economic and Trade Issues was a meaty two-day affair, tackling the implications and impacts of the ASEAN Charter, Climate Change, Biofuels, and the current Rice Crisis among the farmers and fisherfolk members of PAKISAMA. With this information, the organization was able to formulate an initial plan of action on how to tackle these issues in the light of everything else that is happening in the country.

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We, the Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA), a regional alliance of 9 farmer federations in 8 Asian countries representing 10 million farmers, join the call to “free the peasants of Kelompok Tani Masyarakat Ingin Makmur (KTMIM) and investigate the violation of human rights in Banjaran Village, Secanggang Sub-District, Langkat District” in Indonesia.

We are appalled by the wanton disregard for human rights exhibited by PT Buana Estate and the Mobile Brigade when they violently attacked the peasants who were peacefully guarding their land last July 25, 2008.

The land belongs to the people of Kampung Banjaran who have lived there for generations since 1931. But in 1985, Plantation PT Buana Estate forced them to move out from the land, which has already been declared out of the right to use for PT Buana Estate through the Decree of Home Affairs Ministry No.9/HGU/DA/82 dated 25 June 1982.

We are angered by their criminal action when they hit with a truck and brutally kicked Ponisih, a 36-year old peasant woman, who is now in a coma in a hospital, fighting for her life.

We are deeply disturbed by the arrest of 46 peasants, including 2 women – Ana, 35 years old, and Ganong, 55 years old – made by the police during the attack, and are gravely concerned about their safety.

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BBC, Tuesday, 29 July 2008 23:46 UK

Marathon talks in Geneva aimed at liberalising global trade have collapsed, the head of the World Trade Organisation has said.

Pascal Lamy confirmed the failure, which officials have blamed on China, India and the US failing to agree on import rules.

EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said the result was “heartbreaking”.

The talks were launched in 2001 in Doha and were seen as providing a cornerstone for future global trade.

The main stumbling block was farm import rules, which allow countries to protect poor farmers by imposing a tariff on certain goods in the event of a drop in prices or a surge in imports.

India, China and the US could not agree on the tariff threshold for such an event.

Washington said that the “safeguard clause” protecting developing nations from unrestricted imports had been set too low.

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The Canadian Press, July 29, 2008

GENEVA — Developing countries raised the spectre of millions of destitute subsistence farmers Monday as they pressed for extra protection of their domestic rice producers from surges in foreign imports.

India and Indonesia have led demands for a “special safeguard” to be included in a new global trade pact being negotiated in Geneva, despite opposition from the United States and agricultural exporters in Latin America.

Trade Minister Mari Pangestu of Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country, said she has to ensure the survival of some 60 million farmers – mostly small-scale rice growers – who are vulnerable to competition from large foreign producers.

Poor countries want the power to increase tariffs on rice and other foods as soon as either imports rise or prices drop by a certain level. The U.S., European Union and others have proposed severe restrictions before countries can invoke emergency tariffs, Pangestu said.

“It’s so limited that we cannot use it, whatever the situation – food crisis or no food crisis,” said the agricultural economist, who is opposing a tentative deal laid out last week by WTO chief Pascal Lamy.

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Quezon City, Philippines – While negotiators from 39 member countries of WTO again meet in Geneva this week for a mini-ministerial meeting in efforts to conclude the much delayed, much controversial Doha Development Round of Negotiations, around 100 farmers and supporters belonging to the Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka (PAKISAMA)and other farmer groups and civil society organizations march to the Department of Agriculture (DA) to ask Philippine WTO negotiators to reject the July 10 text of the Doha round and not to sign to a new round of agreement. Agriculture has been a contentious issue since the Round started in 2001.

Bearing placards that say “No to Deal on AoA!,” the marchers included groups such as R1, TFFS, PNLC, PKKK, and AFA. They set up huge billboard at the gate of the DA containing a special order from peasants that the Philippine negotiators should (1) demand the reduction of subsidies of developed countries and (2) ask the WTO negotiators to go back to the original proposal of G33 and lobby for good SSM agreement. Otherwise, there should be no deal on AoA.

(Photo taken by Mr. Kang, Min Su.)

Click here to read the statement

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WTO Mini Ministerial Meeting
July 21-25, 2008
Geneva, Switzerland

This week, negotiators from many member countries of WTO again meet in Geneva for a mini-ministerial meeting, in efforts to conclude the much delayed, much controversial Doha Development Round of Negotiations. Agriculture has been a contentious issue since the Round started in 2001.

We, the Asian Farmers’ Association, an alliance of national farmers organizations in Asia representing nine million farmers, were happy that major groupings of developing countries in WTO, such as the LDC group, the ACP group, and the G33, have made a statement that there will be “no deal” without adequate treatment of special products and special safeguard mechanisms. We are happy that India and Brazil, of the G20 group, continuously call for drastic cuts n the heavy subsidies given and high tariff barriers imposed by developed countries, particularly the US and EU.

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07/15/2008 | 08:30 PM , GMA News TV

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine government’s entry and concurrence to World Trade Organization (WTO) and Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) has led to the present rice crisis and has wreaked havoc on the livelihood of farmers and other sectors, as well as to the food security of the third world countries.

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ASHOK B SHARMA, The Financial Express, Posted online: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 at 23:19 hrs

The revised texts for multilateral trade negotiations in agriculture and industrial goods released on July 10 do not offer much to benefit the developing world. There is practically not much difference in spirit of the drafts issued in July and those released in May.

The negotiations on designation of Special Products and use of Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM) are vital for the developing world in protecting their agriculture and livelihood from a possible surge in cheap imports. The revised draft released by Crawford Falconer has largely disappointed the developing countries.

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ASHOK B SHARMA, The Financial Express, Posted online: Monday , July 21, 2008 at 23:16 hrs

Agriculture still remains to be a contentious issue as Geneva gets ready to host the mini-ministerial for reviving the multilateral trade negotiations. In agriculture, both the offensive and defensive interests are likely to come to the fore with equal vigour

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Anna Pha, The Guardian 16 July, 2008

“Food security for all is a fundamental right in modern societies”, Sun Zhengcai, the Minister of Agriculture for the People’s Republic of China told delegates at the United Nations conference on Food Security, Challenges of Climate Change and Bio-energy held in Rome last month. Representatives from the 193 participating countries all agreed that immediate and longer-term action was required. There were, however, significant differences in the identification of the causes of the global food crisis and proposals to solve it. (See reports in June 11, June 18 & June 25 issues of The Guardian).

The higher income, industrialised nations pushed for private sector and “free market” solutions and some blamed China and India for the crisis. Many of the poorer countries, where most of the 350 million hungry live, blamed the policies and protectionist behaviour of the industrialised nations and their failure to carry out previous commitments to assist them. Their recommendations focused on measures to break their food dependency on other nations and to develop food security.

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