South Indian Coordination Committee of Farmers Movements

(SICCFM)
636, Ideal Homes Township,
a!a a!eswari "a#ar, $an#alore %&6'''()* +arnata,a*
Telephone -(. )' /)6'0//&' 1mail2 si33fm4#mail*3om

To
Mr.Jairam Ramesh,
Honourable Union Minister for Environment and Forest,
Government of India.
Su52 Farmers on M61Fs de3ision to put a moratorium on $t $rin!al
Dear Mr Ramesh,
We, the farmers orani!ations from "outh India #ould li$e to sho# our reat a%%re&iation for 'our
efforts to refle&t and see$ out the voi&es of the %eo%le of India and most im%ortantl' the food
%rodu&ers of this nation( its farmers. )our &onsultations have set a ne# %re&edent in the
demo&ra&' of India. We are also es%e&iall' %roud to see that an Indian minister has been able to
sho# su&h trans%aren&' in see$in %ubli& o%inion.
We also a%%re&iate the fa&t that 'ou have *uestioned India+s de%enden&e on the %rivate seed
industr'. We ho%e the ministries of ,ri&ulture and "&ien&e and Te&hnolo' #ill also ta$e this
vie#. We as farmers believe that seeds are not onl' stratei& to India+s se&urit' but also re%resent
the ver' %re&ious heritae, #ealth and &ulture of our nation. ,n atta&$ on India+s seeds is an atta&$
on India sovereint' itself. India+s food sovereint' &an onl' be a&hieved b' strenthenin its
farmers and ma$in them more self reliant as Gandhi had envisioned, rather than t'in them in
bondae to &om%anies. We need aroe&oloi&al te&hnoloies to revitali!e our environment and not
damae it irreversibl'.
,lthouh 'our &onsultations #ere trans%arent, #e #ould li$e to ma$e a %oint for future
&onsultations. This time it had been ver' diffi&ult for individual farmers and farmers re%resentatives
to ma$e %ro%er re%resentation. Furthermore, althouh 'ou did %ersonall' #rite to and &onsult #ith
%oliti&al %arties and state overnment, 'ou did not &onsult #ith individual farmers leaders and their
orani!ations. We feel 'ou must %ersonall' ensure that farmers re%resentatives are ade*uatel'
re%resented to their satisfa&tion in the future.
,nother %oint on trans%aren&' is that all the do&uments should be made available in reional
lanuaes also so that farmers and reular %eo%le &an understand #hat is oin on. It is in&orre&t
to ive *ui&$ a%%rovals based on onl' Enlish lanuae do&uments.
,s 'ou have stated before, there is a reat ris$ of illeal entr' of -t -rin.al as #as the &ase #ith -t
&otton. Even thouh the res%onsibilit' lies #ith the state overnments to ensure that this does not
ha%%en, #e ure 'our ministr' to insist on the states to %ut in %la&e reulator' me&hanisms.
Furthermore no o%en field trial of an' transeni& &ro%s should be &arried out before the &om%letion
of all the bio safet' tests to avoid an' &ontamination. ,lso, Mah'&o(Monsanto must be held liable
for an' &ontamination or lea$s that do ta$e %la&e durin the moratorium %eriod.
/astl', it is &ru&ial that ari&ultural universities and institutions fun&tion in a trans%arent manner.
The' &an &ondu&t resear&h for Indian %eo%le+s %ubli& ood and are merel' holders of our heritae
#hen the' store and use our erm%lasm. Ho#ever the' have no riht to sell our biodiversit' to
%rivate &om%anies b' enterin into material transfer areements. This is a danerous trend #hi&h
is also a threat to India+s food sovereint' and its &ommunities. Furthermore, ari&ultural
universities and institutions have the authorit' to tal$ about ari&ulture related issues but the' have
no riht to &onvin&e the %ubli& about their lon term health and environmental safet' as the' have
been tr'in to do in the %ast. "in&e no eviden&e e0ists on these issues, the' are merel' usin the
%ubli& institutions for false %ro%aanda. This is una&&e%table to us.
1n&e aain, #e than$ 'ou for havin &ondu&ted these &onsultations and in havin %ut a
moratorium on -t -rin.al. We understand that 'ou seem to a&&e%t %ubli& universit' -t varieties,
ho#ever #e are still o%%osed to GM1s until real, trans%arent resear&h and so&io e&onomi& studies
are &ondu&ted and %eo%le are &onvin&ed that these te&hnoloies are safe.
)ours sin&erel',
2odiahall' 3handra "e$her , 2arnata$a Ra.'a R'otha "ana 42RR"5
6.Raveendranath,2erala 3o&onut Farmers ,sso&iation4 23F,5
7allaounder,, U!havar Ulai%%alar 2at&hi.
".2annai'an, Thami!haa 8ivasa'ial "anam.
"ubbu Ravi$$umar, -havani river #ater and round #ater %rote&tion &entre.