Bharatiya Kisan Sangh staged a demonstration at Jantar Mantar on September 1 to register its protest against compromising the interest of Indian farmers by the Government of India in WTO. Thousands of farmers from different parts of the country participated in the demonstration. Addressing the farmers BKS general secretary Shri Prabhakar Kelkar appealed to the Government to boycott any dialogue, which aims at formulating any agriculture negotiation under the WTO. He said the BKS has the firm opinion that Indian agriculture cannot be subjected to any trade negotiation as it is a sustainable way of life. “Hence we oppose any talk on agriculture under WTO provisions. We immediately urge the government of India to pull out of these regulations and start negotiations with the farmers of the country to make the agriculture a viable and sustainable economic activity,” he said. He further said the US and European Union want India to give up its right for protection of any specific economic sector by insisting the inclusion of effective anti-concentration clause. The grate beneficiaries of Agreement on Agriculture under Doha Round would be US and EU producers of processed food. Whereas India’s food-processing industry would further weaken by it, he said. (FOC)
