Our Joint Statement on WORLD FOODLESS DAY

FREE OUR FOOD, NO FREE TRADE

16
th
October 2010
New Delhi !n"ia
#he $nite" Nation% Foo" an" A&riculture Or&ani%ation 'FAO( ob%er)e% 16
th
October e)er* *ear a% Worl"
Foo" Da*+ A% ,er the FAO it%el- hun&er remain% hi&her than be-ore the -oo" cri%e% ma.in& it e)er more
"i--icult to achie)e the hun&er/re"uction tar&et% o- the Worl" Foo" Summit an" 0illennium De)elo,ment
1oal 1// Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger+ #he "ri)in& -orce behin" thi% -ailure ha% been the
cor,orati%e" a&riculutre %*%tem where a&ribu%ine%% ha% been %tri)in& to control the total e2tent o- the -oo"
,ro"uction chain 3 -rom technolo&* to tra"e to retail "i%tribution cou,le" with -inancial %,eculation+
Alternati)e mo"e% o- a&ricultural ,ro"uction an" "i%tribution "o e2i%t an" ha)e %hown the ,otential o- -oo"
%u--icienc* an" ecolo&ical harmon*+ 4eo,le%5 or&ani%ation% all o)er the worl" ha)e been %tru&&lin& to
,romote the%e a&ain%t a "*%-unctional &lobal a&ricultural %*%tem that cannot but lea" to worl" -oo"/le%% "a*%+
At a time when !n"ia i% %et to %i&n F#A% with a number o- countrie% that are the "omain% o- a&ribu%ine%% we
reiterate our call a&ain%t the 6-ree7 &lobal tra"in& %*%tem an" call attention to how it a&&ra)ate% hun&er an"
the -oo" cri%i%+
6Free7 tra"e i% actuall* bin"in& countrie% an" im,actin& the -ree"om% abilit* o- lar&e number% o- %mall -oo"
&rower% to %ur)i)e an" ,ro)i"e much nee"e" -oo"+ FAO8% ,ro9ection% -or 2010 in"icate that the number o-
un"ernouri%he" ,eo,le will "ecline in all "e)elo,in& re&ion% althou&h with a "i--erent ,ace+ #he re&ion with
mo%t un"ernouri%he" ,eo,le continue% to be A%ia an" the 4aci-ic+ !ronicall* it i% al%o the re&ion with the
hi&he%t number o- -oo" ,ro"ucer%+ #he State o- Foo" !n%ecurit* 'SOF!( Re,ort 2010 %a*% that the ma9orit* o-
the worl"8% un"ernouri%he" ,eo,le li)e in "e)elo,in& countrie%+ ::; o- !n"ia5% ,o,ulation %ur)i)e on le%%
than R%+ 20 a "a* an" earl* thi% wee. !n"ia ha% &ot the "i%tinction o- bein& ran.e" at 6: out o- <= countrie%
in a new 1lobal >un&er !n"e2 2010+ #he !F4R!8% 1lobal >un&er in"e2 ran.% !n"ia in the com,an* o- a
bloc. o- 2? countrie% inclu"in& %ub/Saharan A-rica where the hun&er le)el i% @alarmin&8+ #wo/thir"% li)e in
9u%t %e)en countrie% 'Aan&la"e%h Bhina the Democratic Re,ublic o- the Bon&o Ethio,ia !n"ia !n"one%ia
an" 4a.i%tan( an" o)er =0; li)e in Bhina an" !n"ia alone+ An" thi% i% al%o ,reci%el* the area where -ree tra"e
,olicie% are bein& ,u%he" e)en more to wrench the worl" out o- the -inancial cri%e% that the )er* %ame %*%tem
create" in the -ir%t ,lace+
Ailateral in)e%tment treatie% 'A!#S( an" -ree tra"e a&reement% 'F#A%( %eriou%l* im,act the li)e% o- -armer%
an" con%umer% o- -oo"+ #he* are increa%in&l* bein& u%e" to -urther liberali%e -armin& %ector% in the ho,e o-
&ainin& acce%% to new mar.et% -or a&ricultural e2,ort%+ F#A% are bein& u%e" to tr* to -orce o,en mar.et% -or
a&ricultural ,ro"uct% which ha)e been e2em,te" in ,re)iou% tra"e ne&otiation% li.e the W#O an" to al%o
tar&et non/tari-- barrier% li.e ,ro"uct %tan"ar"% which relate to -oo"+ #he rule% the* im,o%e are "e%i&ne" -or
an" b* lar&e an" ,ower-ul com,anie%8 economic intere%t% an" not -or the ma9orit* o- the worl"5% -oo"
,ro"ucr% // %mall -armer% in"i&enou% ,eo,le -arm wor.er% tra"itional -armer% or -i%her -ol.+ #he rule% are
%im,l* about how to control mar.et% while re"ucin& the )er* ba%ic -oun"ation% o- li-e li.e %ee" an" -oo" into
commo"itie%+ Financial %,eculator% al%o ma.e a .illin& bettin& on -oo" ,rice% lea"in& to arti-iciall* in-late"
,rice% an" arti-iciall* create" -amine li.e %ituation%+ !n"ia i% Cuite &un&/ho about A!#% an" F#A% an" to"a*
o)er 2? %uch a&reement% are un"er ne&otiation% b* the 1o)ernment o- !n"ia an" 6 are un"er
im,lementation+
#he $N S,ecial Ra,,orteur Ri&ht to Foo" ha% alrea"* ,ointe" to the im,act o- commo"it* %,eculation on
-oo" ,rice )olatilit* which ,la*e" a "eci%i)e role in the -oo" cri%e% o- 200< 3 lea"in& to -oo" riot% all o)er
the worl"+ We nee" a&reement that -oo" i% -ir%t an" tra"e later+
India is increasingly becoming a food importing country. India has started importing pulses, sugar and
edible oil. Policy makers think that free trade is a solution to feed hungry people. But importing food from
one continent to another is not a solution when farmers can grow food locally. e believe in food
sovereignty. !ood grains should be grown locally and distributed locally. !ree trade in agriculture is a
disaster for humanity." said S Kannaiyan of South Indian Coordination Committee of Farmers
o!ements"
Small -oo" ,ro"ucer% ha)e been -ee"in& the worl" -or centurie% an" )ariou% %tu"ie% "emon%trate that %maller
-arm% ,ro"uce -ar more ,er acreDhectare than lar&er one%+ !n the conte2t o- the climate chan&e %mall -arm
a&riculture ,ro)i"e% a wa* -orwar"+ #he e2,an%ion o- the in"u%trial -oo" %*%tem i% the lea"in& cau%e o-
climate chan&e+ #hrou&h it% reliance on -o%%il -uel% ma%%i)e e2,ort% mar.et concentration ero%ion o- %oil%
an" e2,an%ion o- ,lantation% it &enerate% ==/?:; o- the total &lobal &reen hou%e &a% '1>1( emi%%ion%+ #hi%
in"u%trial -oo" %*%tem i% al%o com,letel* inca,able o- a%%urin& ,eo,le5% -oo" an" li)elihoo" nee"%+ Yet tra"e
rule% are onl* -urtherin& the a&ro in"u%trial mo"el+ #hi% i% comin& at a hu&e co%t to both our ,eo,le% an" the
,lanet+
On 16 October the Worl" Bommittee on -oo" %ecurit* "ubbe" a% the ,remier -orum to "i%cu%% &lobal hun&er
com,lete" a 6/"a* lon& inter&o)ernmental meetin& alon& with ci)il %ociet* to "i%cu%% the &lobal &o)ernance
o- Worl" Foo" Securit* at FAO in Rome+ 4eo,le%5 or&ani%ation% ha)e "eman"e" 6real %olution%7 -or the
worl"wi"e ,ermanent -oo" cri%i% a% well a% concrete mea%ure% to tac.le the ,roblem% o- %,eculation with
-oo" commo"itie% an" lan"/&rabbin&+ #he* "eman" that %mall -armer% )oice% mu%t be hear" an" that
,roce%%e% ,u%he" b* the cor,orate "ri)e -or bene-it %houl" not be &i)en le&itimac*+ #heir "eman"% mu%t be
hee"e" i- we are reall* %eriou% about combattin& hun&er worl"wi"e+
Issued in solidarity with all those fighting against free trade agreements and for food sovereignty#
Bhartiya $isan %nion
$arnataka &a'ya &aitha (angha )$arnataka (tate !armers *ssociation+
$erala ,oconut !armers *ssociation
-amil .adu (tate !armers *ssociation
(outh Indian ,oordination ,ommittee of !armers /ovements
0a 1ia ,ampesina (outh *sia
2&*I.
!ocus on the 2lobal (outh
E3%*-I4.( 5E6uitable -ourism 4ptions
*nthra, 7yderabad
Intercultural &esources, 8elhi
(aha'a (amrudha 5organic farmers association of $arnatka
Indian (ocial *ction !orum 9I.(*!:
For more details please contact: <secretariatlvcsouthasia@gmail.com>