Fasting at the Martyr’s Square, Palayam.  This is the main event organised jointly by various organisations from all districts under the banner of the Kerala Agriculture-Environmental Collective.  Important personalities including the Minister for Agriculture, Sri Mullakara Rathnakaran, Other Ministers, Poetess and Environmentalist Sugathakumari, Chairman, KSBB, Dr V S Vijayan, Prominent film personalities, writers, poets, social activists, scientists, farmers, environmentalists, students, consumer organisations etc will participated.
Minister calls for nation-wide struggle against GM crops

PROTEST: A hunger strike observed by the Kerala Agriculture-Environment Collective before the Martyrs’ Column in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday as part of a nation-wide agitation against the government move to permit commercial cultivation of Bt brinjal.

Thiruvananthapuram: Minister for Agriculture Mullakkara Ratnakaran has called for a nation-wide consensus in the struggle against genetically modified crops in India.

Addressing a day-long hunger strike organised by the Kerala Agricultural and Environment Collective before the Martyrs’ Column here to protest against the move by the government of India to permit commercial cultivation of Bt.Brinjal, he said the introduction of GM crops would affect the food sovereignty of the country.

“India does not need GM crops to achieve food security; we only have to ensure that our farmland and farmers are protected,” he said. Millions of hectares of farmland are diverted for other purposes.

Reversing the trend is crucial in the drive for food security, GM crops are not.” The Minister said GM crops would lead to the loss of seed sovereignty.

“Driven by profit motives, global corporates are out to make India a laboratory for GM crops with little regard for health hazards. Protecting farmland and encouraging farmers is the only solution to this problem,” he added.

Poet and activist Sugathakumari, poet O.N.V Kurup and chairman of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board V.S. Vijayan spoke.

The hunger strike was organised as part of a nation-wide agitation against Bt.Brinjal.

The All India Kisan Sabha, DYFI, Sakhi, Thanal, Mahila Samakhya Society, Organic Farmers’ Committee, Ore Bhoomi Ore Jeevan, Gandhi Smaraka Nidhi, Abhaya, AIYF, Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad, Kerala Sthree Vedi, Kerala Swathantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation, Solidarity Youth Movement, All India Solidarity Peace Council, People’s Union for Civil Liberties, Chilla, Zero Waste Centre, Progressive Forum, SUCI, and the Thiruvananthapuram Jilla Upabhoktru Samithi took part in the hunger strike

Courtesy – The Hindu

Hundreds stage fast against Bt Brinjal

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: ”In Japan, there was a move by the government to import genetically modified soyabean. The people strongly objected  to it and the government had to give up the move,’’ said Katsuko Nakano, an artist from Japan, who was seen at the venue of the one-day fast staged here on Saturday to stop introduction of Bt Brinjal and to protect the food sovereignty of the country.With a black scarf around her head and a pink umbrella that she shared with social scientist Saradha Mani, Katsuko Nakano could not stop herself from attending the protest, after she heard about it from a friend. Neither could film actor Rohini, who joined in a little late. “I could not become part of it in Tamil Nadu, so I thought I will do it here,’’ she said.Rohini, incidentally, along with Revathy has just finished a film on the issue called `Kathirikkai’.  The film, intended to create an awareness on the ill-effects of the toxic brinjal, was released a couple of days ago in Tamil Nadu.It was indeed quite an interesting mix of people from various walks of life at the Martyr’s Square where Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran inaugurated the fast a little way behind schedule. Mullakkara, obviously happy that Kerala is taking a lead in the campaign against GM crops, said that many other states would soon follow suit in banning GM crops.  The function was graced by the presence of poets ONV Kurup and Sugathakumari and Biodiversity Board chairman Dr V.S. Vijayan.Mararikulam panchayat president Priyesh Kumar joined in the fast here, as he could not be in Alappuzha. Many of the protestors wore a badge which read `I am on a fast’ and a chain of brinjals around their necks. Even the incense sticks, in front of Mahatma Gandhi’s picture, were stuck on plump green brinjals. An interesting poster at the venue read: “Genetically modified food are likely to be on your plate soon – 100 percent side-effects guaranteed.’’  Farmers, government officials, senior citizens, teachers, artists and a few students took part in the satyagraha, unmindful of the blistering sun. In the evening, MBS choir gave a performance which was followed by a candle-light oath-taking to protect India’s food sovereignty. The various organisations which took part in the protest include the All-India Kisan Sabha, AIYF, Gandhi Smaraka Nidhi, Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad, Kerala Swathanthra Matsya Thozhilali Federation, Jaiva Karshaka Samithi, AIPSO, Progressive Forum, PUCL, KSSF, Swadeshi Jagran Manch, Solidarity Students Movement, Thanal, Abhaya, SEWA., SAKHI, OEOL, Kerala Mahila Samakhya Society, Kerala Sthree Vedi, Zero Waste Centre and Chilla.

Courtesy – Expressbuzz

Everything You HAVE TO KNOW about Dangerous Genetically Modified Foods from Jeffrey Smith on Vimeo.

Genetically modified seeds will gradually dominate our farm fields. Thats what the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee is trying to do. We don’t need such a committee. ‘G.E.A.C quit India’ – that is the only thing an earth loving farmer can say. Through genetic engineering, if the plant tissues are made poisonous to scare pests, it is not hard to predict, in what way that poison will affect humans and animals. We had to wait many years before identifying that the first green revolution gifted us only with reduced soil quality and deceases. GM seeds are getting prepared to become more disastrous than that, by terminating the traditional seed varieties.Now dairy farmers cannot whole heartedly feed cattle with cottonseed meal. Only time will prove that oil made from genetically modified cottonseed will only be harmful to us. Despite having precious medicinal qualities,edible oils like coconut oil, being outperformed by other edible oils, and are taking over our kitchens.

The goal, if on the other hand, is to reduce food scarcity, isn’t it better to genetically modify humans? It is better to reduce the size of the stomach, hunger and quantity of food intake. Is this the only way the U.S can recover from the Recession, by selling medicines for deceases caused by using GM food? If Genetic Engineering were to increase the biodiversity by ensuring the nutrient balance of the soil, we would have welcomed it with big hands. All that Kerala and India earned from Ayurveda till date, will be destroyed from the entry of GM crops. Our water resources are already polluted and dying. The B.T. crops will add further more havoc  to their future.

Picture Courtesy: The Hindu

A dying coconut tree by dropping down the leaves without any reason except an unknown disease.

These are the leaves fell down from the coconut tree. Our agricultural scientists will say to cut and burn the tree and plant a new one. But I will try to treat it by giving bio

Harish Damodaran

New Delhi, Aug. 9 Even as consumers are reconciling themselves to dearer sugar, they are being served a double whammy – this time from milk.

The last few days have seen retail milk prices go up by Rs 1-2 a litre in Delhi, Mumbai and Pune, with other cities, too, bracing for similar increases.

Coming ahead of the festival season – starting with Eid-ul-Fitr towards September 20, followed by Dussehra on September 28 and Diwali on October 17 – there could be no worse news, given that these two commodities or their derivatives such as khoa and channa are the main ingredients in the making of practically every sweet savoured during this time.

In Mumbai, all major liquid milk brands – Mahananda, Aarey, Gokul, Amul, Mother Dairy, Warana, Krishna, Govardhan, Shivamrut and Govind – have announced Rs 2 a litre hike effective from this Friday.

Full-cream milk, with six per cent fat and nine per cent solids-not-fat (SNF) content, will now cost Rs 30 a litre, while prices of toned milk (3 per cent fat and 8.5 per cent SNF) have been raised from Rs 22 to 24 a litre.

In Pune, too, consumer prices have gone up by Rs 2 a litre, as a result of the Maharashtra Government’s decision on July 29 to hike its reference rate for purchase of milk from farmers by Rs 2.50 a litre.

Procurement price hiked

Dairies in the State will have to pay the higher procurement price over the next three months, before the ‘flush’ season begins in November.

In Delhi, the market leader, Mother Dairy, has effected a Re one a litre increase in prices of its double-toned (1.5 per cent fat and 9 per cent SNF) and bulk-vended toned variants.

These will henceforth retail at Rs 19 and Rs 20 a litre respectively, even as prices of full-cream and toned milk sold in pouches (as opposed to loose milk against tokens) have been retained at Rs 21 and Rs 26 a litre.

“Mother Dairy is also likely to shortly raise prices of full-cream and toned milk as well. Given that full-cream in Delhi is now Rs 4 a litre cheaper than in Mumbai, this is bound to happen.

And once the market leader does it, Amul, Gopaljee, Paras and others will automatically follow”, industry sources pointed out.

A Re one a litre consumer price hike is also said to be in the offing in Kolkata.

Pending with EC

In Chennai, the Tamil Nadu Government has already given the clearance for raising procurement prices of milk by Rs 2 a litre, though the decision is pending with the Election Commission in view of the by-elections to five Assembly seats on August 18.

“The higher procurement prices may take effect after the by-polls, which, in turn, will also necessitate a corresponding correction in retail prices”, the sources added.

Milk prices, unlike sugar, have witnessed a gradual increase over the last couple of years.

Gradual rise

While retail sugar prices have shot up from Rs 18-19 to Rs 28-29 a kg in the last one year alone, full-cream milk prices in Delhi have risen from Rs 19 to Rs 26 since February 2006.

Dairies’ defence

Dairies justify the higher milk prices by laying the blame on soaring cattle feed costs, along with the impact of the current drought on green fodder availability.

Prices of major feed ingredients such as de-oiled rice bran, rapeseed extractions and molasses have hardened by 40- 60 per cent since last year.

Moreover, the recent increase in diesel prices has added to the cost of transporting milk from the primary collection centres to the consumer point, they pointed out.
Courtesy : The Hindu Business Line