UGANDA INVESTIGATES UN FOOD AID AFTER THREE DIE, POLICE SAY

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KAMPALA (Reuters) – Uganda is investigating a supply of food from the World Food Program after three people died and 262 others got sick, police said.

People suffered diarrhea, nose bleeds and other health problems after eating food provided by the United Nations food agency, police said in a statement late on Monday.

The food was part of a community feeding program in the northeastern Karamoja region, a semi-arid area where the UN has long provided food aid for people facing poor harvests.

Police are “actively investigating the death of three people … from eating adulterated or poisonous food supplied by the World Food Program,” the statement said.

Samples of the food and the patients’ urine and blood had been sent to a government laboratory for analysis.

The food agency said on Saturday it had suspended distribution of Super Cereal – a fortified blended food – at all its operations in Uganda.

In a statement on Tuesday, WFP said some 262 people had reported falling sick after eating the cereal, with some exhibiting “mental confusion, vomiting, headache, high fever and abdominal pain.”

The organization also said it was aware of “reports of three deaths” that had occurred on March 16 and that extra samples of the cereal had been sent to Kenya and South Africa for testing.

Uganda hosts a large population of refugees, mostly from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where conflict and widespread insecurity has uprooted hundreds of thousands of people.

Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; editing by Larry King

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-uganda-relief/uganda-probes-un-relief-food-after-three-deaths-police-idUSKCN1R00GD

SAY NO TO GM MAIZE

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March 01, 2019

Zubeida Mustafa

THERE is bad news and there is good news for our environmentalists, agriculturalists, healthcare givers and all those who care for the welfare of Pakistan. First, the bad news.

In January, the Prime Minister’s Office announced that Cargill, the global food and agricultural producer with an annual revenue of $114.6 billion (2018), will be investing $200 million in Pakistan in the next two to five years. This announcement came after two top-ranking executives of Cargill met Prime Minister Imran Khan. It seemed innocuous, at least to people who know little about biotechnology giants.

One of them, Monsanto (now merged with Bayer), fathered the genetically modified organism (GMO) in 1983 which did terrible damage to numerous crops and farmers all over the world. As a result, we saw a spate of high-profile lawsuits in which the company admitted to having bribed officials abroad. At least 35 countries have now banned GMOs.

Obviously our political leadership is not well informed on such matters, nor is transparency its forte. Hence the Cargill heads’ meeting with the prime minister and their offer to create a huge number of jobs in Pakistan raised no scepticism in government circles.

Our experience with GM cotton has been disastrous.

But mercifully the Ministry of National Food Security & Research still has men of integrity and knowledge at its helm. It appears they have resisted this move. That has now prompted the American Business Council of Pakistan (representing 64 companies), a leading foreign investors’ group, to seek the prime minister’s help “to allow commercial cultivation of GM maize”. These American companies want the “obstacles” removed that are preventing them from implementing their controversial plans.

The good news is that the Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek has issued a press release titled ‘Peasants Declare “NO TO GM MAIZE!”’ The party has categorically supported the ministry’s refusal to grant approval to genetically modified maize in Pakistan. The PKMT’s own position on GMOs and the seed companies has been clear for over a decade: they violate farmers’ collective rights to seed and will pauperise the small and landless tillers of the soil.

The Seed Association of Pakistan has also “sternly opposed” any commercialisation of GM maize in Pakistan. Civil society is also gearing up to resist any such move which will have a devastating effect on food security as well as agriculture. BT cotton should come as a lesson — that is, if we are willing to learn. Introducing BT cotton proved to be easy sailing in 2010. There was hardly any resistance from those in authority.

The Seed Law was changed by the National Assembly in 2015 to accommodate the seed multinationals. This was done at the behest of the US in spite of the fact that the 18th Amendment was in place and a courageous lawyer, Ahmad Rafay Alam, went to court on behalf of the Kissan Board to challenge its legality as well as the safety of BT cotton. The case has still to be decided.

BT cotton — Monsanto’s GM pet project — has proved to be a disaster for the country. Since its debut in Pakistan — by virtue of seeds smuggled from India in 2005 and later sanctioned by the government in 2010, cotton production has been falling. The figures cited have varied from source to source. It has of late been in the range of 10.5m and 11.5m bales. In 2004, cotton production stood at a record high of 14.1m bales (of 170kg each). Contrary to the government’s claim, the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association says the weight of the bales is now 160kg each.

For years cotton production has failed to meet the target set by the government. This has adversely affected the national economy as cotton is the major element in the textile sector, the mainstay of Pakistan’s exports. BT cotton has also introduced new bugs in the cotton fields requiring greater use of pesticides, produced as can be expected by the biotech companies themselves. With Monsanto monopolising the seed market, nearly 88pc of the area under cotton cultivation is BT. The yield per acre has also fallen. All this adds to the cost of the inputs, causing farmers to switch to other crops.

It is horrifying to think of what the impact would be if maize, which is a thriving crop at present, is handed over to producers of GM maize. Has GM maize been thoroughly tested in our soil and climatic conditions? Without extensive research we cannot assess its impact on human health. We cannot afford to risk a rise in the prevalence of deadly diseases; the pesticide Roundup, which is required to be used, has been declared carcinogenic by WHO. This should be reason enough for the government to resist pressures from the biotech multinationals which are out to destroy our economy.

Let us learn from our own sordid experience of GMO cotton. Let sanity prevail. Besides, we cannot allow our peasantry to be destroyed. It is the backbone of our agriculture.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2019

https://www.dawn.com/news/1466871

Petitioner’s arguments concluded in Farmer’s Rights case

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Press Release

Lahore, 21 February 2019: A Full Bench of the Lahore High Court heard arguments by Petitioners challenging the Seed (Amendment) Act, 2015 and the Plant Breeder’s Rights Act, 2016.

Advocate Sheraz Zaka, appearing on behalf of the NGO One-World, submitted that these laws were passed at the behest of multinational seed and GMO companies and were against the interests of farmers in Pakistan. He pointed out how these law prohibit the storage and sharing of seeds, which has been a fundamental feature of agriculture since the dawn of civilization.  The new laws would require farmers and seed companies to register new verities with the Intellectual Property Organization in Islamabad.

Advocate Ahmad Rafay Alam appearing for NGO Sojhla for Social Change argued the Plant Breeder’s Rights Act, 2016 could not have been passed by Parliament as it was a provincial subject. He pointed out the province of Punjab had taken measures to draft the Punjab Seed (Amendment) Bill and Punjab Farmer’s Rights Bill, and that the laws passed by Parliament usurped the powers of the provinces.  The laws passed by Parliament, it was submitted, failed to recognize Pakistan’s international obligations to protect Farmers’ Rights and also usurped provincial jurisdiction.  The petition filed by Sojhla for Social Change is supported by the Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek.

A representative appearing on behalf of the Federation of Pakistan submitted the Seed (Amendment) Act, 2015 and Plant Breeder’s Rights Act, 2016 were passed keeping in view advancements in technology and the needs of seed dealers.

After hearing arguments, the Full Bench adjourned the hearing of the matter to 26 February 2019 for arguments by the Federation of Pakistan.

Full Bench hears petition challenging Plant Breeder’s Rights Act, 2016 and Seed (Amendment) Act, 2015

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Press Release

Lahore, 18 February:  A Full Bench of the Lahore High Court led by Mr. Justice Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and comprising Justices Shahid Bilal Hassan and Muhammad Waheed Khan heard petitions challenging the vires of the Plant Breeder’s Rights Act, 2016 and the Seed (Amendment) Act, 2015.

Separate petitions had been filed by Sojhla for Social Change and Human-Voice, both civil society and farmers’ organizations, seeking to declare both laws in violation of farmers’ rights.  It is alleged these laws were passed at the behest of multinational seed companies and not with the interest of Pakistani farmers in mind.

Ahmad Rafay Alam, counsel for Sojhla for Social Change, argued Parliament could not have passed legislation amending the Seed Act, 1976 as the Constitution envisages such legislation to be made by Provincial Assemblies.  Similarly, Parliament exceeded its legislative jurisdiction in passing the Plant Breeder’s Rights Act, 1906 as this subject was not enumerated in the Federal Legislative List.  He argued there was a democratic deficit in the legislation as they had been passed without hearing the voices of farmers.  The petition by Sojhla for Social Change is supported by the Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek.

Sheraz Zaka, counsel for Human Voice, submitted that farmers’ rights could not be sacrificed in the interest of multinational seed and food companies.

Pakistan is signatory to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, which recognizes the enormous contribution of farmers in the conservation and development of plant genetic resources that constitute the basis of food and agriculture around the world.  The Treaty requires contracting parties to take measures to protect and promote farmer’s rights.  The petitioners argue the Plant Breeder’s Rights Act, 2016 ignores farmers’ rights and gives preference to multinational seed companies and corporate farming.

After hearing arguments, the Full Bench directed notice be issued to the Attorney General and adjourned the case for hearing this Thursday.

! جینیاتی مکئی کی منظوری کے لیے طلب کیا گیا اجلاس منسوخ

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ایک خبر کے مطابق پاکستان ایگری کلچر ریسرچ کونسل (پارک) کے ایک اعلی سطح اجلاس جس میں آج (منگل، 29 جنوری کو) جینیاتی مکئی کی کاشت کی منظوری دی جانی تھی، خود وزیر خوراک کی جانب سے آخری لمحات میں ڈرامائی انداز میں منسوخ کردیا گیا۔ پارک نے بین الاقوامی بیج کمپنیوں کی تیار کردہ جنیاتی مکئی کی اقسام کو تجارتی بنیادوں پر کاشت کرنے کی اجازت دینے پر غور کرنے کے لئے جلد بازی میں بیج کی جانچ کرنے والی ورائٹی ایویلویشن کمیٹی کا اجلاس طلب کیا تھا۔ یہ صورتحال اس وقت پیدا ہوئی جب وفاقی وزیر قومی غذائی تحفظ و تحقیق صاحبزادہ محبوب سلطان نے اچانک مداخلت کرتے ہوئے پارک کے چیئرمین ڈاکٹر یوسف ظفر کی سربراہی میں منعقد ہونے والے اس اجلاس کو منسوخ کردیا۔ اجلاس میں شرکت کرنے کے لئے بہت سے شرکاء راستہ میں تھے یا اسلام آباد پہنچ چکے تھے جب انہیں بذریعہ ٹیلی فون آگاہ کیا گیا کہ یہ اجلاس آئندہ نوٹس تک ملتوی کردیا گیا ہے۔ پیر کی شام (28 جنوری) تک بھی پارک کے اعلی حکام اجلاس کی منسوخی سے بے خبر تھے۔ پارک کے ایک اعلی افسر کا کہنا تھا کہ اجلاس فیصل آباد زرعی یونیورسٹی کی درخواست پر منسوخ کیا گیا ہے کیونکہ یونیورسٹی کی ٹیم اس اجلاس میں غور و بحث کے لیے تیار نہیں تھی۔ اس اجلاس کی منسوخی کی کوئی سیاسی یا اور کوئی وجہ نہیں ہے۔
بیج کے کاروبار سے وابستہ کچھ شراکتداروں نے تجارتی بنیادوں پر جنیاتی مکئی کی بطور غذائی فصل کاشت کی سخت مخالفت کی ہے جن کا کہنا ہے کہ ہائبرڈ مکئی کی کاشت کو جاری رکھنا ہی کسانوں اور صارفین کے مفاد میں ہے جو ملکی ضروریات کے مطابق کاشت کی جارہی ہے۔ اس کے علاوہ بیج کی صنعت کی جانب سے مقامی ہائبرڈ بیج کے لیے کی جانے والی سرمایہ کاری کو بھی ترجیح دینے کی ضرورت ہے۔ شراکتداروں کا کہنا ہے کہ جنیاتی فصلوں کی کاشت کو متعارف کروانے سے نا صرف ذہنی ملکیت کے حقوق کے لئے ادا کی جانیوالی رقم (رائلٹی) کی وجہ سے کسانوں کی پیداواری لاگت میں اضافہ ہوگا بلکہ مقامی جینیاتی وسائل کی آلودگی کا باعث بھی بنے گی خصوصاً مکئی کی فصل جس میں ہوا کے زریعے زیرگی (پولینیشن) کا عمل ہوتا ہے۔

بیج کے شعبہ سے وابستہ شراکتداروں نے خبردار کیا ہے کہ جینیاتی فصلوں کے مقامی سطح پر ہائبرڈ بیج کی اقسام کی تیاری پر کی جانے والی سرمایہ کاری پر بھی انتہائی منفی اثرات مرتب ہونگے اور بیج کے کاروبار میں تحقیق و ترقی اور ان کی مقامی پیداوار کی حوصلہ شکنی ہوگی۔ دوسری طرف مکئی سے تیار شدہ اشیاء کی پاکستان سے پائیدار بنیادوں پر برآمد صرف اس صورت جاری رہ سکتی ہے کہ جب مقامی کاشتکار ہائبرڈ ٹیکنالوجی پر قائم رہیں اور جینیاتی مکئی کی کاشت کی اجازت نہ دی جائے۔
سب سے اہم بات یہ کہ جینیاتی فصلیں برآمدات کے لیے نقصان کا باعث بنیں گی کیونکہ اکثر ممالک جو پاکستان سے مکئی اور اس سے تیار کردہ اشیاء اور دیگر غذائی فصلیں درآمد کرتے ہیں، جینیاتی فصلوں کے خلاف ہیں جیسے کہ یورپی یونین، افریقہ، ترکی اور روس۔ پاکستان ان ممالک اور خطوں کو اپنی اشیاء برآمد نہیں کرسکے گا جس کے نتیجے میں برآمدات میں سخت رکاوٹیں پیدا ہونگی۔

سب سے اہم بات یہ کہ پاکستان کی ہائبرڈ مکئی کی فی ہیکٹر پیداوار پانچ ٹن میں پہلے ہی اضافے کا رجحان ہے اور پاکستان پہلے ہی کئی ایسے ممالک سے پیداوار میں آگے ہے جنہوں نے جنیاتی مکئی کی کاشت کی اجازت دی ہے۔ پاکستان اپنی مکئی کی ضروریات مقامی پیداوار کے زریعے حاصل کررہا ہے اور یہاں جینیاتی فصلوں کے تجربات کی کوئی ضرورت نہیں ہے جس میں کئی طرح کے مسائل ثابت ہوچکے ہیں۔
ترجمہ :دی نیوز، 30 جون، 2018

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/424810-minister-steps-in-to-scrap-moot-called-to-green-signal-gm-corn-in-haste

Minister Steps In To Scrap Moot Called To Green-Signal Gm Corn In Haste

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Munawar Hasan

January 29, 2019

 

LAHORE: A high-level meeting that was slated to green-signal the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) corn in the country today (Tuesday) was ploughed down for now by the food minister himself at the eleventh hour in a rather dramatic way, The News has learnt

Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) had called a moot of Variety Evaluation Committee (VAC) for granting approval to commercial farming of genetically modified corn varieties, developed by multinational seed companies today (Tuesday) ‘hastily’.

A scene was created when Federal Minister for National Food Security Sahibzada Mehboob

Sultan abruptly intervened and asked for the cancellation of meeting that was convened by Dr Yusuf Zafar, chairman PARC.

Many participants were on their way to federal capital or had already reached there for attending the meeting, when they were informed via phone calls that the moot has been postponed until further notice.

Several key PARC officials were also not aware of the cancellation until late Monday evening, when they were contacted by The News.

Even, an official confirmed to The News the meeting was on after reconfirming it.

However, upon insisting that the meeting had been cancelled, the official again checked with the PARC high-ups and only then he affirmed the postponement of the VAC meeting.

The official however asserted that meeting was cancelled on the request of Faisalabad Agriculture University as its team was yet not ready to show up for the moot. There is no political or any other reason of shelving the meeting, he observed.

Certain stakeholders in seed business strongly opposed the introduction of genetically modified corn’s commercial cultivation being an edible crop.

“It is in the best interests of consumers and farmers that the country continued with the hybrid corn, which is abundantly being produced in the country as per requirements,” they said.

Moreover, they added that the investment in local hybrids developed by seed industry also required prioritising hybrids of maize.

The stakeholders said the introduction of genetically modified crops would not only increase the cost of farming for farmers due to high royalty fees, but would also lead to contamination of local germplasm, particularly in maize, which is a wind pollinated crop.

“This will also have severe adverse effect on the investment in locally developed hybrid varieties and discourage local production and research and development in seed business,” they warned.

On the other hand, the exports of maize-based value-added products from Pakistan could only be continued on sustained basis if the local growers stick with hybrid technology and refrain from allowing genetically modified corn seeds, sources said.

Most importantly, they added that it would lead to loss of export business as several countries/regions which import the value-added products based on maize and edible crops from Pakistan are anti-genetically modified crops such as European Union, Africa, Turkey, and Russia.

“Pakistan will not be able to export its products to these regions and countries, thus severely hampering exports,” they said.

More significantly, they said Pakistan’s per hectare production of corn was already showing upward trend and with five tons per hectare output of corn hybrids, Pakistan was already ahead of several countries that allowed genetically modified corn.

“We are sufficiently meeting our needs of corn through local production and there is no need to experiment with genetically modified organisms, which have several proven issues,” sources said.

genetically modified corn

Roots for Equity’s Rooftop Garden (Winter 2018-19)

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Since past couple of years, Roots for Equity has been maintaining a seed bank on its office rooftop to promote seed saving and advocate kitchen gardening using traditional, non-chemical methods of agriculture.

Currently there are 20 plants potted on a total of 37 pots in the Roof Garden, Roots for Equity. The following are the 20 plants that have sprouted this winter season (2018-19):

  • Sarson – Mustard Leaves
  • Pudina – Spearmint Leaves
  • Dhaniya – Coriander Leaves
  • Aloo – Potatoes
  • Gajar – Carrots
  • Saem ki phali – Hyacinth Beans
  • Karela – Bitter Gourd
  • Torai – Ridged Gourd
  • Papita – Papayas
  • Jamun – Java Plum
  • Curry patha – Curry Leaves
  • Bhindi – Okra
  • Lasun – Garlic
  • Aloe vera – Aloe Vera
  • Patharchatta – Air Plant
  • Sadabahar – Rose Periwinkle
  • Tamatar – Tomatoes
  • Harimirch – Green Chilies
  • Kharbooza – Musk Melon
  • Baingan – Eggplant

Continue reading →

LAND GRANT TO LANDLESS PEASANTS CANCELLED

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***

Shaheed Benazirabad (revenue) additional commissioner Yousuf Abbasi took action over the land grant allowed by then executive district officer (EDO) of revenue in the wake of inquiries by National Accountability Bureau and complaints to ombudsman.

In his order, the additional commissioner observed that the land had been given by the EDO against the land grant policy.

The officer conducted hearing over the matter after issuing show-cause notices to the grantees and inviting their objections if they had any but he revoked the grant without hearing their arguments through a large number had filed objections.

The land was granted in 26 dehs in Sanghar taulka. Most of the peasants had paid government’s dues after which they were issued allotment orders, Qabooliat, form A and form VII-B by the revenue department.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2019

https://www.dawn.com/news/1455629/land-grant-to-landless-peasants-cancelled

PATENTING AGRICULTURE: CASE OF CHINESE HYBRID WHEAT SEEDS INTRODUCED UNDER CPEC

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 Askari Abbas

Seed patenting is one of the scourge of neoliberal agriculture, which began in the 1990s. It has been outraging peasants and farmers ever since due to its catastrophic political, socioeconomic impacts. This article is going to explore, analyze and critique hybrid wheat seed that is being introduced in Pakistan under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) agreement signed between the respective countries.

In 2014, the Beijing Engineering Research Center for Hybrid Wheat (BERCHW) gave a selected assortment of hybrid wheat to Pakistan, suitable for plantation in different part of the nation. The target was boosting crop production and to achieve food sufficiency.

BERCHW, besides extending specialized and scientific help to Pakistan, has additionally given free of cost hybrid wheat seeds adding up to 12,000 kg. Chinese agriculture researchers have also visited Pakistan to provide technical support.Hybrid wheat is aimed to be commercially produced over vast areas of Pakistan within two years. According to news sources, the Pakistani Embassy in Beijing is facilitating the research process between the two counterparts.Around 150 specialists have dedicated themselves to the research and development of hybrid wheat.

According to news agencies in Pakistan, the work on Hybrid wheat has been ongoing since 2012 where the China’s Hybrid Wheat Company and the Beijing Hybrid Wheat Engineering Technology Research Center have collaborated with Pakistan’s Guard Agricultural Company and Peshawar Agricultural University to demonstrate experiments on the cooperation of the second-generation hybrid wheat in Pakistan.Over 120 hybrids were planted in more than 230 experimental spots.

This agreement can also be verified from Sinochem’s press release of August 28 in 2012, which provides information on a cooperation agreement between Sinoseeds Hybrid Wheat Seed* (Beijing) Co., Ltd. (Sinoseeds Hybrid Wheat) and Guard Agricultural Research Services (Pvt.) Ltd. (Guard Agri). The press release highlights the agreement for the promotion and application of China’s two-line hybrid wheat in Pakistan.

*Sinoseeds Hybrid Wheat, a company jointly built by China National Seed Group Co., Ltd. (shortened to Sinoseeds, a subsidiary of Sinochem Group) and Beijing Engineering Research Center for Hybrid Wheat in October 2011, is the first professional hybrid wheat seed company in China.

Another press release from 2014 shows that CNSGC Hybrid Wheat Seed (Beijing) Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China National Seed Group Co., Ltd. (China Seed) under Sinochem Group, signed a cooperative agreement on hybrid wheat industrialization with Guard Agricultural Research Services (Pvt.) Ltd on May 24th of 2018.

According to Sinochem, Hybrid Wheat Company was formed with the joint investment of China Seed and Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences (BAAFS) in 2011 to promote the industrialization of hybrid wheat technology and boost the selective breeding and popularization of fine hybrid wheat varieties.

Hybrid Wheat Piloted in Pakistan

An August 2018 report from an online Chinese news website Global Times shows that the Chinese are planning to cultivate their hybrid wheat along the Belt and Road route after successful trials in Pakistan.

Song Weibo, vice president of Sinochem Group Agriculture Division, China’s largest agricultural inputs company and integrated modern agricultural services operator, informed the Global Times that the company’s hybrid wheat has been harvested on a large scale in Pakistan, and has also gotten some exposure in Bangladesh and Uzbekistan.
According to the report, the company will continue to promote hybrid wheat in other Belt and Road countries and establish demonstration bases in Europe and North America.

It is clear that Sinochem is interested in opening a market for its hybrid wheat seed in Pakistan, as they have sent a number of experts to the country to work with local farmers. According to Song, around 150 experts have been sent to over 20 cities in Pakistan.

It is important to note that with the likely upcoming merger of Sinochem and ChemChina (another state owned chemical company that also acquisitioned Syngenta; a former Swiss agrochemical company that is also involved in hybrid wheat technology), China will largely emerge as a monopolist in hybrid wheat technology in upcoming years.

According to a report in China Daily the trial on hybrid wheat in Pakistan has been concluded and termed successful. The trials included tests on the hybrid varieties being carried out in 230 sites; spread over 2,000 hectares of experimental bases or local farm lands. This information was provided by the general manager Chen Zhaobao of CNSGC Hybrid Wheat Seed (Beijing) Co, a subsidiary of China National Seed Group Co under Sinochem Group Co that is responsible for the hybrid wheat promotion project in Pakistan.

Muhammad Arif, professor of agriculture at Peshawar Agricultural University whose involvement in the project can also be verified with a simple look on the project log page of his ResearchGate profile, has seemingly expressed his approval for the commercial introduction of Chinese hybrid wheat seeds in Pakistan

A glimpse at the hybrid wheat seed varieties that China wants to introduce in Pakistan and the Belt-Road initiative:

Source: picture taken from CNSGC products web page.

Further information about the project can be seen from a report by China Radio International on their website; (Please note that this information has been translated using Google translator).

According to China Radio International, the 2017- 2018 field trials were run by Peshawar Agricultural University. It seems part of the trials were carried out in a village Ruijji near Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The various institutions that seem to be involved in the research included Ministry of Science and Technology of China, the Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Municipality, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Pakistan Foundation Committee, the Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences/Beijing Hybrid Wheat Engineering Technology Research Center and the Sinochem Group’s subsidiary Sinoseeds Co., Ltd..

In 2018, China-Pakistan Hybrid Wheat Joint R&D Center was also built in Peshawar under China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) for the promotion of Beijing hybrid wheat in Pakistan.

It is quite unfortunate that Pakistani officials have highlighted certain features of Pakistan’s agriculture and farmers that could be construed as overlooking the hardships of the people, and essentially exploitative. For instance, it has been mentioned that,“Pakistani farmers can endure hardships, withstand high temperatures, and further that cheap labor and human resources provide an obvious advantage for Sinochem to run its hybrid wheat project in Pakistan.” Pakistan’s special geographical importance was also highlighted, keeping its trade closeness with Central Asia, Europe, Russia, China, and Africa in mind. Pakistan’s‘trade-friendly policies’ were also mentioned with emphasis laid on the possibility that China could produce and export from Pakistan to EU and the United States.

As Pakistan is a member of WTO, it has to act in accordance to all the rules and agreements that are part of WTO charter strictly with no questions asked. And as a result of this connection with the international trade governing body, an amendment was made in Pakistani Seed Act of 1976 in 2015.

Its key points are:

  • The providence of primary seed for the private sector (Pre-Basic Seed).
  • Laboratory for testing authentic seed for the private sector.
  • Registration of seed companies/dealers and production plants.
  • Imposing penalties if seed laws are violated.
  • Ban on unregistered and unapproved varieties.
  • Registration of organizations and individuals is now necessary for being part of the seed business.
  • Any individual including farmers are not allowed to sell nor store their seeds, nor are they allowed to transact or exchange it.
  • Farmers are not allowed to sell misbranded seeds, nor are they allowed to sell, store or exchange them, nor are they allowed to transact them in any way possible.
  • Full permission to grow genetically modified crops, especially cotton and maize.
  • The farmers have to pay fees for registering their varieties.

As it can be noted, this amendment was made with the protection of intellectual property in mind, to satisfy TRIPS the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) agreement made under WTO that was made to facilitate private sector to gain control of natural resources worldwide through imposing intellectual property rights laws on them. There is no doubt that the Amended Seed Act has taken away farmers rights and given domination to corporations. It needs to be stated that this law has been met with severe opposition and resistance from the farming organization nationwide.

Now with China’s unopposed entry in the Pakistani agricultural market, combined with this new Seed Act of 2015, standard free market policies being accepted by the Pakistani government under advanced capitalist states, as well as the CPEC influence, no doubt the Chinese are being given an easy free entry into Pakistani agriculture, which will have enormous repercussions for the small farmers, as well as the country’s sovereignty.

And with this newfound freedom what is the first thing that Chinese do? They go after our staple food crop that is wheat. The perplexing thing is that all these changes made in wheat are slowly turning it into an unhealthy food crop. Putting the health aspect aside, the socioeconomic aspect of it is damning itself. Now the Chinese will have full control of the wheat that is consumed in and exported out of Pakistan. These new Chinese hybridized varieties will come accompanied with Sinochem’s fertilizers and pesticides, putting more economic pressure on local peasants and farmers and also unnecessarily increasing Pakistani wheat production value.

The way things are going; with Pakistanis allowing foreign corporate companies and foreign organizations to pry into its own agricultural practices and taking over its natural food sources, the history is repeating itself. The people of this region have already experienced the taste of what western colonialism is like. Now the time has come that the Pakistani people prepare themselves for a new form of colonization, i.e. Chinese neocolonialism!!

No doubt we face a behemoth of a typhoon!

SLAVERY INC: HOW LEGISLATORS REINFORCE BONDED LABOUR IN SINDH

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Mohammad Hussain Khan Updated October 01, 2018

The hari-landlord relationship remains undocumented in Sindh. This makes peasants vulnerable to all forms of exploitation.

Weaker laws and regulatory framework deprive haris of legal protection. In many cases, they survive in subhuman conditions and fall prey to slavery.

Sindh Tenancy Act (STA) 1950 seeks to protect their rights, thanks to a relentless struggle by one of the greatest hari leaders of his era, Hyder Bux Jatoi. However, haris can hardly invoke its provisions to get their rights.

Yet this law, which describes a hari as a tenant, was amended by the Sindh Assembly in 2013. The most damaging amendment that the PPP, which derives its electoral strength from rural Sindh, introduced to it was the omission of the following words: “But the landlord shall not take any free labour from the tenant or a member of his family against his will.”

In other words, legislators have legalised slavery.

According to veteran labour rights activist Karamat Ali, this amendment shows that legislators are in a state of denial as they believe landowners don’t take begaar (free labour). “Legislators from urban areas also voted for the amendment,” he said.

Landowners maintain accounts of expenditures that they settle with haris after the harvest. Haris till the land under no written agreement

Practically, the hari-landlord relationship is governed under no law. Haris are not registered under the record of rights as permanent tenants as per the 1950 law. Usually, peasants share expenses incurred by their landlords as the latter purchase all inputs either by themselves or through local financiers. These local lenders charge interest rates that are multiple times higher than the mark-up on a typical bank loan.

For instance, a local lender provides farmers with a urea bag at Rs2,400 on credit even though its actual price varies between Rs1,600 and Rs1,700. The loan is usually adjusted once the crop is harvested and sold either in the market or to the same lender.

This undermines the monetary interests of haris who have to make do with a meagre share in the profit after the deduction of expenses. Landowners maintain accounts of expenditures and settle the same with haris after the harvest. Haris till the land under no written agreement.

A landlord lets haris cultivate separate pieces of land. They depend on the landlord for meeting their day-to-day needs as he ensures the supply of irrigation water, seeds, fertiliser, pesticides and tractors.

Although the STA is considered a pro-peasant law, rights bodies have come up with some draft amendments to make it more progressive. However, the Sindh government hasn’t considered those amendments yet.

Many people believe that elected representatives in rural Sindh are primarily from powerful landed aristocracy and get support from their urban counterparts. Overall, 10 amendments have been made to the law. But there hasn’t been any meaningful impact as far as conditions of the haris are concerned.

The STA calls for setting up tribunals to resolve hari-landowner disputes. But no such body has been set up so far.

One draft amendment calls for placing the tribunals under the judicial magistrate instead of a taluka-level assistant commissioner as enshrined in actual STA.

Another draft amendment calls for making a tribunal’s decision challengeable in “higher civil courts” contrary to the actual provision that says, “A decision of tribunal or in appeal by collector (deputy commissioner) and then by commissioner shall be final and shall not be called in question in any court.” But these amendments have not been considered.

Interestingly, farm workers and those working in the fisheries sector are now covered by the definition of “industrial labour” under Sindh Industrial Relations Act (SIRA) 2013. But the rules under the SIRA have not been issued yet.

Sindh Abadgar Board Vice President Mahmood Nawaz Shah says relevant departments lack the capacity to implement tenancy rules. Laws like the STA couldn’t take effect under a weak governance structure.

Mr Ali says conditions for farm labour are extremely poor. “They have no right to form a union. When a hari is not registered with the revenue department, he and his family can be evicted by the landowner any time,” he says.

Any payment of advances to haris is prohibited under Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act 2015

An identical situation exists even in the formal labour sector where third-party employment by factory owners is commonplace now, he adds.

The cases of bonded labourers are usually reported against the backdrop of the poor implementation of tenancy laws. Such haris escape from the clutches of landowners to avoid paying the debt they obtained in advance. Any payment of advances to haris under Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act 2015 is prohibited. But the law is rarely implemented.

Peasant rights activists claim that 13.46 million people were employed in Sindh in 2012. Of them, as many as 7.74m were based in rural areas. A majority of them work as sharecroppers — landless tenants or peasants — as well as wage labour.

Trade unionist Nasir Mansoor asserts that even the STA has become obsolete now. He believes that only getting haris freed from bondage is no solution to the issue. An entirely new consultation is needed to look at the hari-landlord relationship, he stated, adding that peasants will continue ending up as losers otherwise.

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, October 1st, 2018

https://www.dawn.com/news/1435964/slavery-inc-how-legislators-reinforce-bonded-labour-in-sindh