FEBRUARY 2011 National Magazine of Farmers Voice

8/7/2019 FEBRUARY 2011 National Magazine of Farmers Voice

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In this country there is a paradoxicalsituation where farmers are committing suicide, rural

1J''-''lIIJ'J',-, in distress, people losing their livelihood and few becoming

through largescale corruption and stashing away ill-gotton money

in German and Swiss banks in Liechtenstein Island.

Recently there has been a saga of corruption just to mention a few instances

relating to the Commonwealth Games, allocation 2-G Spectrum,

appointment of CVC chairman and disclosures of Nira Radia tapes. The

government's premier investigating agency, CBI is engaged in a cover up game

and the government has no guts to allow free and fair investigation by a Joint

Parliamentary Committee.

The ill-gotton money is now being stashed away in 15 banks in LiechtensteinIsland, out of which seven are Swiss. Noted lawyer, Ram Jethmalani who has filed a

PIL in the Supreme Court has estimated $1500 billion illegally stashed away in LGT

and other foreign banks. The Global Financial Integrity has estimated the amount at

$462 billion.

According to Jethmalani if the total ill-gotton money is brought back it would wipe out Iall the debts of the country, each family would get Rs 2.5lakh each and there would be a

tax-free Budget for next 30 years.

The government, however, has the details of depositors of the ill-gotton money and is

unwilling to make it public claiming that the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement

with Germany would come in the way of making the information public. Ifthis is so thenwhy the government in a democracy should strike an agreement with any other country

which compells it to withold informations ofgenuine public importance and concern.

The government has submitted the documents to the apex court under a sealed cover

and has requested not to disclose the contents to the petitioner. But the government's

contention is being challeged as Liechtenstein island is an independent princip

monarchy in Europe and the DTAA with Germany would not come in the way of

public discloure if the government opts to source information directly from

Liechtenstein Monarchy.

Other view is that the DTAA should not come in the way when transactions concerned

only Indians. DTAA comes into play when transactions are between German

Indian entities.

The USAdministration has recently been successfuly in getting back the ill-gotton

money from these banks. Why can't India garner this courage and competance.



- -~Editor:

Dr. Krishan Bir Chaudhary,President,

Bharatiya Krishak Samaj,F-l/A, Pandav Nagar,Delhi-ll 0091

Advisory Board:

S. P.Gulati, Sect. G.O.!., Retd.Lingraj B. Patil

Prof. Sanjay Jadhav

Dr. R.B. ThakareD. Guruswamy, Adv.Rajesh Sharma "Bittoo"

Pratap Singh, DIG Retd.Hatam Singh Nagar, Adv.K. SareenAjay Singh

Desiged by: Rahul SharmaAastha Chaudhary

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[ _ _ V t _ O _ 1 . _ 2 _ N _ O _ , _ 2 F_e_bru_ary_ 2 _ 0 _ 1 _ I _ _ J

KISAN KI AWAAZNational Magazine of Farmers' Voice

CONTENTS

WikiLeaks on bio-terrorism India is

* Dr. Suman Sahai

Commodity prices to increase - WTO chief* Laura MacInnis and Amena Bakr

Report reveals distress of early Tamil settlers

* Ashok B Sharma

Int'l Horti Expo & Int'l Flora Expo 2011

Monsanto's Roundup Triggers Over 40 Plant Diseases

* Jeffrey M. Smith

Indian researchers working on pesticides

"Resolutions Passed In National Convention ofBKS"

GMOs are a cause of hunger, debt and suicides

* Dr.Vandana Shiva

Viruses and Virus Nucleic Acid Contaminate

* Prof. Joe Cummins

USDA Decision on GE Alfalfa Leaves Door

Farmers feed the world

* Prodita Sabarini

~ f ' r : i ? f 1 J T 'R morn ~31m

* 6TO ~ e m : ~mt

Green Chemistry from Wastes

* Dr. Mae-Wan Ho

More than 250 Economists Call for Trade Reforms

New Subscription

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February - 2 0 1 1 1isan Ki Awaaz

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WikiLeaks on bio-terrorism

India is vulnerable to attacks by novel organisms

* Dr. Suman Sahai

The media has been spilling the contents of the

Radia tapes with salacious gossip about a

minister running Air India into the ground to

benefit private airlines, or the promiscuous ways of an

industry tycoon. WikiLeaks is also getting space with

stories of the less than reverential US attitude towards

us despite all the soft-soaping going on inpublic about

the power ofrising India.

What went unnoticed in this milieu of gossip and

innuendos was a set of postings having unnerving

contents. Dealing with bioterrorism, these minutes of

the meetings of US diplomats with the Ministry of

External Affairs (MEA) reveal the US evaluation of

India's lack of preparedness to handle any kind of

bioterrorism.

Indian officials have been aware of the threat of

bioterrorism at the hands of jihadi elements for some

time. Two years ago a terrorist apprehended in

Kashmir was found to be carrying a sophisticated

device looking like a fountain pen, which contained

strange and toxic chemicals.

According to a WikiLeaks document, MEA officialsadmit that Indian intelligence agencies have picked up

the conversation of suspected terrorists discussing the

use ofbio-terrorism.

According to this leaked report, j ihadi groups have

opened up channels to identify people with PhD

degrees in biology and biotechnology to recruit those

sympathetic to their cause. No guesses for figuring

out what these PhDs should be doing for their j ihadi

masters.

Though old-style bio-terror agents like anthrax

bacteria and cholera germs are still effective,antidotes are known for these and can be deployed fast

if the state agencies are alert and can respond in real

time.

The real fear of bio-terrorism, however, now comes

from the next generation of biological organisms that

are being created in the lab using new tools like

genetic engineering and synthetic biology.

Advances in biotechnology have put in the hands of

scientists and laboratory technicians several methods

and techniques, all of them quite uncomplicated, that

can be used to create new organisms with hitherto

unknown traits.

Given that there are hundreds of labs engaged in the

exercise of cutting and splicing genes from one

organism to another and that all the equipment and

chemicals needed to do this are easily available, the

potential of creating God-knows-what in the lab is

magnified several- fold.

India's rich biological diversity offers a range of

bacteria and viruses and thousands oflethal toxins that

can be obtained from sources like micro-organisms

and plants.

All these have the potential of being cut and spliced at

will, creating dangerous new organisms that have no

pedigree and for which no antidotes are known. These

are the monsters on the horizon, waiting to be pickedup by terrorists with mayhem and destruction on their

agenda.

So far as bugs like anthrax are concerned, we know

their structure and understand their way of

functioning. We know how to control and destroy

them. If there were to be an anthrax attack as it

occurred in the US a few years ago, people would

know how to contain the bacteria in a short time after

the smallest number of casualties.

In the case of new organisms created by genetic

engineering or synthetic biology, nobody knows theirstructure or their properties.

Since they are not natural, they are not related to other

organisms, which could offer clues about their

functioning.

2 February - 2011isan Ki Awaaz



The spread of such new organisms in a population

could cause devastation because we would have no

way of containing them or knowing how to destroy

them fast enough.

Since threats from such novel organisms are rated asserious, the technologies of genetic engineering and

synthetic biology are highly regulated.

In May 2010, when Craig Venter announced his

breakthrough "artificial life" a newly constructed

micro-organism made up of genes synthesised in the

lab, one of his first actions was to notify the

Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical

Issues so that official circles were in the know about

what hewas developing and could keep track of it.

Since then the Presidential Commission has issued a

number of recommendations for the emerging field ofsynthetic biology, most notably for coordinated

federal oversight of scientists working in both large

and small institutions.

In India, it is amatter of concern that there islittle such

oversight. It is ridiculously easy to procure biological

materials such as harmful bacteria, viruses or toxins

from academic laboratories since the supervision in

these institutions is notoriously lax.

According to the WikiLeaks report, there is a real fear

that getting into a supposedly high containment

facility to obtain lethal bio-agents is not very difficultin India and that "India's notably weak public health

and agricultural infrastructure coupled with high

population density means that a deliberate release of a

disease-causing agent could go undetected for quite a

while before authorities become aware".

Of a piece with all this is our shabby regulatory

system for genetic engineering which is known to be

full of holes. Premier academic institutions do not

follow the rules and prescribed regulatory procedures.

A few years ago the field trials of Bt brinjal being

conducted in the Indian Agricultural Research

Institute (IARI) inDelhi had tobe burnt down because

they were being done in violation of the process laid

down for such trials.

The Mahyco company has been conducting field

trials ofBt rice in Jharkhand in flagrant violation of all

prescribed norms.

When evidence of their violations, which were

contaminating the native rice, was pointed out to the

regulators, they refused to take action against thecompany and began to harass Gene Campaign instead

for bringing this to light. There are rumours of even

worse.

That regulation can be influenced and clearances

obtained for a price In addition to leaky and

compromised science and technology systems, India

is particularly vulnerable to bioterrorism attacks

because there is almost no coordination between the

ministries and departments that would need to pull

together in immediate response to such an eventuality.

Turf guarding, lack of communication and the near-total absence of cooperation among key stakeholders

from different departments is a glaring and dangerous

impediment to the country's capacity to respond to a

bio-terrorist attack.

For officials milling around inflated with self-

importance, sober introspection about our terrifying

vulnerability tomodem bio-terrorism would appear to

be an urgent requirement. It is high time this

"emerging global power" got its house in order to

protect the life of its citizens.

* Convener, Gene Campaign.

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February - 2011 3isan Ki Awaaz

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Commodity prices to increase in 2011 - WTO chief* Crude oil, copper, corn, soybean prices seen rising most

* Natural gas, zinc, cattle prices to increase less

* Laura MacInnis and Amena Bakr

Geneva, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Economic recovery willmake food, metals and other raw materials moreexpensive in 2011, the head of the World TradeOrganization said onMonday.

Addressing a United Nations conference, WTODirector-General Pascal Lamy said the prices ofcrude oil, copper, gold, com and soybeans wouldrise most this year, with less pronounced increasesinnatural gas, zinc and cattle.

"2011 will see the prices of most commodities rise,as the rise in global GDP bolsters demand, led byemerging economies," the Frenchman said,estimating worldwide economic output wouldincrease 4 percent in2011.

"Over 70 percent of the growth will come fromcommodity-intensive emerging markets. China,India and LatinAmerica, inparticular, will be actingas a 'pull' for global commodities," Lamy said.

Rising commodity prices could be a boon forcountries where raw materials are grown, mined,produced and refined.

But higher food prices can also pinch the world'spoorest people, who spend almost all of theirincome on basic staples, said David Nabarro, theU.N.'s special representative on food security andnutrition.

Rises in agricultural goods prices will have aninflationary effect felt hardest in poorer countries,

Nabarro said. But he urged countries to avoidblocking food exports in response to price spikes orworries about supplies.

"The imposition of export bans, though itmaymakepolitical sense, can have a very detrimental impacton markets for coarse grains and other basic

foodstuffs," Nabarro said.

Supachai Panitchpakdi, head of the U.N. trade anddevelopment agency UNCTAD, warned thatcommodity traders and a growing number ofinvestors in agricultural goods were causmg"speculative distortions" inmany markets.

Emergencies such as floods in Pakistan and fires inRussia led to spikes in prices for wheat, cotton and

other goods, he said, also estimating copper priceshave risen 35 percent since last summer, with gold,sugar and cotton at three-decade highs.

Such volatility makes it hard for governments tobudget and plan their spending, and makes countriesvulnerable to a shock if commodity prices that oncefilled coffers fall again, the former deputy Thaiprime minister said.

"UNCTAD remains concerned about the possiblelopsided development consequences of undue

reliance on the commodity economy m manycountries," he said.

Lamy said the WTO's Doha round, a global freetrade accord under negotiation for nearly a decade,could dismantle barriers to agricultural trade andslash "extremely high tariffs" on goods such as riceas well as agricultural subsidies in rich states thatdistort global prices of goods including cotton.

"The Doha round, when completed, will oil thewheels of international trade in commodities, givingthe developing world its fair share ofthe market," hesaid.

Http://af.reuters.com/article/ energyOilNews/id

AFLDE70UON020110131

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Report reveals distress of early Tamil settlers

in Malaysia

*Ashok B SharmaIdiansettled abroad may continue to prosper and

contribute to the economy of the country of their

residence or domicile, the situation in Malaysia

appears to be different. There may few exceptions

like Tan SriDatoAjit Singh ofMalaysia who received

the Pravasi Bharatiya Sanman Award, this year, but

the conditions Tamilian Indians who settled in this

part of the world hundreds of years since the sway of

Hindu kingdoms in South- EastAsia isvery pitiable.

There are a good number Tamilian Indians who

settled in Malaysia during the Colonial British rule.

These people came to Malaysia as workers in

plantation estates.

The 9th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas concluded in New

Delhi on January 9, 2011 with a happy note

highlighting the several achievements of Overseas

Indians and non-resident Indians (NRIs) across the

globe. The President of India, Pratibha Devisingh

Patil conferred Pravasi Bharatiya Sanman Awards to

as many as 14 Overseas Indians and one Qatar-based

social organization for their outstanding

contributions.

The delegates from Malaysia at the 9th Pravasi

Bharatiya Divas distributed copies of 'Malaysian

Indian Minority and Human Rights Violations :

Annual Report-20 10'.

The report compiled by Hindraf Makkal Sakthi in

collaboration with Human Rights Party, Malaysia and

edited by Barrister-at-Law, Waytha Moorthy

Ponnusamy reveal the marginalization of 450,000

stateless Indian diaspora. Copies of the report was

presented to the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan

Singh, Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, Vayalar

Ravi and Minister of External Affairs, SM Krishnabut the Indian government is yet to take up this issue

with the Malaysian government

The suffering of Indians began with the introduction

of the New Economic Policy (NEP) in 1971 which

gave an upperhand to the ethnic Malays (Bumiputra)

in employment, business and other walks oflife. The

NEP was the result of the 1969 inter-racial riots which

shook the peninsula.

Since the independence of Malaysia in 1957 the

Barisan Nasional Coalition led by United Malays

National Organisation UMNO) ruled the country and

pursued policies detrimental to the Indians. Though

Malaysian Indian Congress is the partner in the ruling

coalition they have done little to elevate the suffering

of the Indians inMalaysia. After March 2008 election,

the coalition of opposition parties Pakatan Rakyat

came to power in four states of the country and the

situation there is no better for Malaysian Indians,

according to the report.

The report described UMNO as a racist and extremist

organization. Indians in Malaysia are denied equality

and equal opportunities in direct contravention and

violation ofArticles 8 and 12 of the Malasian Federal

Constitution. About 70% of the Malaysian Indians

live in poverty and are marginalized and denied of

very basic and elementary needs and minority and

basic human rights. Forced marginalization has led to

the involvement ofIndian youths in crime.

The reports contains clippings from different

Malaysian newspapers like News Straits Times, Tamil

Nesan, Berita Harian, The Star, Malaysiakini, Sinar

Harian, Nation, Harian Tamil Makkal. Italso contains

some relevant portions of the United States

Department of State Country Report on Human

Rights Practices in Malaysia. The USSD Report

2009, published on March 11, 2010 said : "The

government continued to detain without trial five

leaders of an ethnic Indian civil rights group.

The civil courts continued to allow the Shari'a(Islamic law) courts to exercise jurisdiction in cases

involving families that included non-

Muslims Longstanding government

policies gave preferences to ethnic Malays in many

areas. Some employers exploited through forced

labour migrant workers and ethnic Indian Malaysians.




Some child labour occurred in plantations."

The report has also complied relevant extracts from

Amnesty International and Centre for Policy Studies.

The Human Rights Watch World Report observed:"Hopes that Malaysia's human rights climate would

improve following elections in March 2008 proved

unfounded National Front leaders continue to

insist that Malaysia's multiethnic society is too fragile

to sustain genuine freedom of assembly and

expression or full due process rights for all suspects.

The government continues to use outdated repressive

laws and regulations to silence its critics and extend

its rule."

Jane's Sentinel, Country Risk Assessments of

Malaysia observed ; "Although a largely pro-

Western, fully-fledged parliamentary democracy,Malaysia is often regarded as a 'soft authoritarian'

state, which has attempted to differentiate itself from

liberal democracies in the West. There is little

independence in national media, the arts are heavily

censored in line with the country's Islamic policies,

and a draconian law from the colonial era the Internal

Security Act (ISA) has been used widely to suppressopposition parties and politicians. Many questions

have been raised about the independence of the

judiciary."

Further Jane's Sentinel report said; "There have also

been ethnic tensions between the Malays and the

Indian minority, particularly in 2006 when local

authorities demolished many Hindu temples they

claimed were built without permission." Apart from

demolition of Hindu temples, the Malaysian Indian

Minority and Human Rights Violations : Annual

Report-2010 talks about forceful eviction of the 200-

year old Tamil Hindu Village Kg Buah Pala.

DAP fertiliser price up, farmers upset

* Sarbjit DhaliwalJalandhar, February 2- Farmers are agitated as the DAPfertiliser price has been hiked by Rs 40 per bag(weighing 50kg). The old rate was Rs 497.50 per bag. Ithas been increased up to Rs 537.50. Confirming theincrease in the price, Ghuman Singh, a fertiliser dealer,

said that the new stock would be sold at the new price.Confirming the increase in price, an official said thatsince the Union Government had decontrolled thefertiliser price, the private companies had startedjackingup the fertiliser price on their own. Itis second time thatthe DAP price had been enhanced in fourmonths.

Earlier, about three months ago, the DAP price wasincreased from Rs 467.50 to Rs 497.50 per bag. Theother reason for increasing the price was that the UnionGovernment had reduced the subsidy by Rs 3,000 pertonne on the DAP. That subsidy was given directly tocompanies engaged in the manufacturing of fertilisers.To cover the reduction in subsidy, manufacturers had

increased the price ofDAP and that phenomenon had hitthe farmers hard, said the official.

The BKU president Balbir Singh Rajewal said that thefarm community was suffering because of the "anti-farmer" policies of the Union Government. He said thatin the past some months, the Union Government had

given big jolts to farmers by raising the price of variousfarm inputs, including various fertilisers. He said thatthere were also reports that the price of urea, a fertiliser,would also be increased soon. There were also reportsthat the diesel price would also be hiked.

He said when the onion price had gone up, a lot of hueand cry was raised. However, no one, except farmers,was raising his voice when the fertiliser price had beenincreased.

On the other hand, he said that the Powercom had starteddenying power to the farm sector. Farmers were givenpower only for three hours in a day and that also onalternate days and not daily. "To further harass farmers,the Powercom provides electricity to farmers aftermidnight," said Rajewal. Warning against the prolongedpower cuts in the rural areas in general and the farmsector in particular, Rajewal said if the situation onpower front did not improve in a week, the BKU would

gherao Powercom officials in their offices. He said thePowercom and the Punjab Government was testing thepatience of farmers, who were made to suffer on allfronts.

Tribune News Service




Int'l Horti Expo & Int'l Flora Expo 2011

* T V Satyanarayanan & Sumanta Basu

As widel!, ,acknowl~dged, the best credentialsto India s potential to become a maj or

horticulture power was a three-day show at

New Delhi' sprawling Pragati Maidan. Top quality

fruits and vegetables both tropical and temperate and

Mr. Bob Hiensch, Holland Ambassador

Choice flowers of various Hues and shapes, almost

all of which are now being grown in India, were on

display atInt'l Flora Expo and Int'l Horti Expo 2011.

Organised by Media Today Group, the event was

hailed as "an expo of world standard" by a National

Horticulture Mission (NHM) official who went round

long rows of stalls. Comments by many dignitaries

who visited the show echoed the same sentiment. The

Union Agriculture Ministry was the principal

sponsor, along with NHM and Horticulture Mission

for North East and Himalayan states. Supporting

organisations and bodies were National Horticulture

Board, Ministry of Food Processing Industries,

APEDA, Bharatiya Krishak Samaj and Flowers and

Ornamental Plants Welfare Association (iFLO RA).

This year's event marked a departure from the past in

that for the first time, the Netherlands extended its

hand of cooperation as a partner country. In the earlierevents in the series, participation by the Netherlands

was confined to Dutch companies only.

A steady stream of visitors, including farmer

delegations from 17 states could feast their eyes and

enhance their knowledge on horticulture wealth of24

states and technology and services of over 150companies, including those of25 Dutch companies. In

allIS countries sent their delegations to the event.

This time, horticulture and floriculture were clubbed

together on one platform to facilitate knowledge

exchange and to spread the latest technologies of one

segment to another for mutual benefit. The objective

was to encourage all stakeholders in floriculture and

horticulture to derive the benefit of relevant

techniques and technology available in India and

abroad.

Going round the expo was a rewarding experience formany farmer delegations, said one of the farmers. The

growers could gather a fund of information on latest

fruit and flower varieties, growing techniques,

consumer demand, input supply services and details

ofmachinery suppliers. Since labour shortage isbeing

increasingly felt in the agriculture sector in many

states, farm machine making companies displaying

their products received a number of enquiries about

the utility and prices of various equipment and

machinery.

For the states, the expo was a good opportunity to

highlight their agricultural development programmes,especially the progress made in horticulture and

floriculture,

The strong presence of North Eastern states was an

indication of the rising popularity of growing flowers,

fruits and vegetables as a profitable business among

the farmers of those states. Interestingly, this activity

in the region has promoted women's empowerment as

well.

Mizoram, where women's cooperatives are a big

success in the production of anthurium and other

flowers, put up an attractive stall to display its bestexport quality flowers.

Eye-catching cymbidium orchids were the star

attraction in the Sikkim pavilion. The background

walls were decorated with colourful roses and




anthuriums. While Assam and Manipur had lots to

offer to wide-eyed visitors, Nagaland exhibited some

ofthe choice fruits under cultivation,

That the demand for exotic fruits and vegetables is on

the increase in the country was obvious from theexhibits in various pavilions, indicating the new trend

of crop diversification among the farming community

to augment income. Vegetables like zucchini and

long-leaved Chinese cabbage, along with orchids of

different colours at the Uttar Pradesh pavilion were

proof of the enterprising nature of some ofthe farmers

to capitalize on the changing demand of upper-end

consumers.

Zucchini and yellow and red variety capsicums, as

also many other fruits

and vegetables were

on display at theAndhra Pradesh

pavilion as well.

Stall officials

explained that

growing of these

vegetables fetched

good prices to the

hard working Andhra

farmers.

snake" flower, besides orchids. Officials in the

pavilion said the state is active in development of

medicinal plants, under the programme of state

Medicinal Plant Mission.

Karnataka's focus at the expo was on display of itsprized flowers like roses, anthuriums and gerbera.

Most ofthem were export varieties.

The activities presented at the Haryana pavilion

showed the importance the state has accorded to

organic farming and expansion of area under

medicinal and aromatic plants.

A success story in Punjab is the cultivation of seed

potato. The Punjab pavilion therefore sought to

highlight the

activities of

POSCON, aconfederation of elite

potato-seed growers

of the state. It meets

50-60 per cent of the

seed requirement of

India, According to a

POSCON official, the

turnover of this body,

which encourages

cultivation of quality

seed, is about 50

million U S dollars.

Besides potato

cultivation, the

confederation's initiatives include marketing,

machinery use and exchange programmes.

Big sized Amla was a

special attraction at

the MP pavilion. It

reflected the

importance being attached to growing traditional

fruits, having immense medicinal value. Amla, as is

well known, has a special place inAyurveda.

For lay visitors, Tamil Nadu pavilion proved very

popular, since it had effectively used the art of

vegetable and fruit carving to create a number of

images of birds and animals peacock, cockerel,

domestic hen, crocodile, and what have you and

designs of scenic beauty.

Jammu and Kashmir, one of the largest producers of

temperate fruits, concentrated mainly on display of

dry fruits.

Kerala pavilion showed some of the exotic type

flowers under cultivation in the state like "rattle

Apart from the states, large pavilions which attracted a

number of visitors were those of APEDA and NHB,

both of which acted as information centres on various

government schemes to promote floriculture and

horticulture.

Companies like Sheel Biotech and Rise 'n Shine

having tie-up with Dutch counterparts put up a good

display of their top quality flowers and other products.

The organisers received much praise from

participants and visitors for putting up 'a grand show

under one roof.




Monsanto's Roundup Triggers Over 40 Plant

Diseases and Endangers Human and Animal Health

* Jeffrey M. Smith

While visiting a seed corn dealer's

demonstration plots in Iowa last fall, Dr.

Don Huber walked passed a soybean field

and noticed a distinct line separating severely

diseased yellowing soybeans on the right from

healthy green plants onthe left .

The yellow section was suffering from Sudden Death

Syndrome (SDS), a serious plant disease that ravaged

the Midwest in 2009 and' 10, driving down yields and

profits. Something had caused that area of soybeans to

be highly susceptible and Don had a good idea what it

was.

Don Huber spent 35 years as a plant pathologist at

Purdue University and knows a lot about what causes

green plants to turn yellow and die prematurely. He

asked the seed dealer why the SDS was so severe in

the one area of the field and not the other. "Did you

plant something there last year that wasn't planted in

the rest ofthe field?" he asked.

Sure enough, precisely where the severe SDS was, the

dealer had grown alfalfa, which he later killed off at

the end of the season by spraying a glyphosate-basedherbicide (such as Roundup). The healthy part of the

field, on the other hand, had been planted to sweet

com and hadn't received glyphosate.

This was yet another confirmation that Roundup was

triggering SDS. In many fields, the evidence is even

more obvious. The disease was most severe at the

ends of rows where the herbicide applicator looped

back to make another pass (see photo). That's where

extra Roundup was applied.

Don's a scientist; it takes more than a few photos for

him to draw conclusions. But Don's got more lotsmore. For over 20 years, Don studied Roundup's

active ingredient glyphosate. He's one of the world's

experts. And he can rattle off study after study that

eliminate any doubt that glyphosate is contributing

not only to the huge increase in SDS, but to the

outbreak of numerous other diseases.

Roundup: The perfect storm for plant disease

More than 30% of all herbicides sprayed anywhere

contain glyphosatethe world's bestselling weed killer.

Itwas patented by Monsanto for use in their Roundup

brand, which became more popular when they

introduced "Roundup Ready" crops starting in 1996.

These genetically modified (OM) plants, which now

include soy, com, cotton, canola, and sugar beets,

have inserted genetic material from viruses and

bacteria that allows the crops to withstand

applications of normally deadly Roundup.

(Monsanto requires farmers who buy Roundup Ready

seeds to only use the company's Roundup brand of

glyphosate. This has extended the company's grip on

the glyphosate market, even after its patent expired in

2000.)

The herbicide doesn't destroy plants directly. Itrather

cooks up a unique perfect storm of conditions that revs

up disease-causing organisms in the soil, and at the

same time wipes out plant defenses against those

diseases. The mechanisms are well-documented but

rarely cited.

D The glyphosate molecule grabs vital nutrients

and doesn't let them go. This process is called

chelation and was actually the original property for

which glyphosate was patented in 1964. Itwas only 10

years later that it was patented as an herbicide. When

applied to crops, it deprives them of vital minerals

necessary for healthy plant functionespecially for

resisting serious soilborne diseases. The importance

of minerals for protecting against disease is well

established. In fact, mineral availability was the single

most important measurement used by several famous

plant breeders to identify disease-resistant varieties.

D Glypho sate annihilates beneficial soil

organisms, such as Pseudomonas and Bacillus

bacteria that live around the roots. Since they facilitate

the uptake of plant nutrients and suppress disease-

causing organisms, their untimely deaths means the




plant gets even weaker and the pathogens even

stronger.

D The herbicide can interfere with

photosynthesis, reduce water use efficiency, lower

lignin, damage and shorten root systems, cause plants

to release important sugars, and change soil pHall ofwhich can negatively affect crop health.

D Glyphosate itself is slightly toxic to plants. It

also breaks down slowly in soil to form another

chemical called AMPA (aminomethylphosphonic

acid) which is also toxic. But even the combined toxic

effects of glyphosate and AMPA are not sufficient on

their own to kill plants. It has been demonstrated

numerous times since 1984

D that when glyphosate is applied in sterile soil,

the plant may be slightly stunted, but it isn't killed (see

photo).

D The actual plant assassins, according to

Purdue weed scientists and others, are severe disease-

causing organisms present in almost all soils.

Glyphosate dramatically promotes these, which in

tum overrun the weakened crops with deadly

infections.

"This is the herbicidal mode of action of glyphosate,"

says Don. "It increases susceptibility to disease,

suppresses natural disease controls such as beneficial

organisms, and promotes virulence of soilborne

pathogens at the same time." In fact, he points out that"If you apply certain fungicides to weeds, it destroys

the herbicidal activity of glyphosate!"

By weakening plants and promoting disease,

glyphosate opens the door for lots of problems in the

field. According to Don, "There are more than 40

diseases of crop plants that are reported to increase

with the use of glyphosate, and that number keeps

growing as people recognize the association between

glyphosate and disease."

Roundup promotes human and animal toxins

Some of the fungi promoted by glyphosate produce

dangerous toxins that can end up in food and feed.

Sudden Death Syndrome, for example, is caused by

the Fusarium fungus. USDA scientist Robert Kremer

found a 500% increase in Fusarium root infection of

Roundup Ready soybeans when glyphosate is

applied. Com, wheat, and many other plants can also

suffer from serious Fusarium-based diseases.

But Fusarium's wrath is not limited to plants.

According to a report by the UN Food and AgricultureOrganization, toxins from Fusarium on various types

of food crops have been associated with disease

outbreaks throughout history.

They've "been linked to the plague epidemics" of

medieval Europe, "large-scale human toxicosis in

Eastern Europe," oesophageal cancer in southern

Africa and parts of China, joint diseases in Asia and

southern Africa, and a blood disorder in Russia.

Fusarium toxins have also been shown to cause

animal diseases and induce infertility.

As Roundup use rises, plant disease skyrockets

When Roundup Ready crops were introduced in 1996,

Monsanto boldly claimed that herbicide use would

drop as a result. Itdidslightlyfor three years. But over

the next 10years, it grew considerably. Total herbicide

use in the US jumped by a whopping 383 million

pounds in the 13years after GMOs came on the scene.

The greatest contributor isRoundup.

Over time, many types of weeds that would once keel

over with just a tiny dose of Roundup now require

heavier and heavier applications. Some are nearly

invincible. In reality, these super-weeds are resistantnot to the glyphosate itself, but to the soilborne

pathogens that normally do the killing in Roundup

sprayed fields.

Having hundreds of thousands of acres infested with

weeds that resist plant disease and weed killer has

been devastating to many US farmers, whose first

response is to pour on more and more Roundup. Its use

is now accelerating. Nearly half of the huge 13-year

increase in herbicide use took place in just the last 2

years. This has serious implications.

As US farmers drench more than 135 million acres of

Roundup Ready crops with Roundup, plant diseases

are enjoying an unprecedented explosion across

America's most productive crop lands. Don rattles off

a lengthy list of diseases that were once under

effective management and control, but are now




creating severe hardship. (The list includes SDS and

Corynespora root rot of soybeans, citrus variegated

chlorosis (CVC), Fusarium wilt of cotton,

Verticillium wilt of potato, take-all root, crown, and

stem blight of cereals, Fusarium root and crown rot,

Fusarium head blight, Pythium root rot and dampingoff, Goss'wiltofcorn, and many more.)

In Brazil, the new "Mad Soy Disease" is ravaging

huge tracts of soybean acreage. Although scientists

have not yet determined its cause, Don points out that

various symptoms resemble a rice disease (bakanae)

which is caused by Fusarium.

Corn dies young

In recent years, com plants and entire fields in the

Midwest have been dying earlier and earlier due to

various diseases. Seasoned and observant farmers say

they're never seen anything like it.

"A decade ago, com plants remained green and

healthy well into September," says Bob Streit, an

agronomist in Iowa. "But over the last three years,

diseases have turned the plants yellow, then brown,

about 8 to 10 days earlier each season. In 2010,

yellowing started around July 7th and yield losses

were devastating for many growers."

Bob and other crop experts believe that the increased

use of glyphosate is the primary contributor to this

disease trend. It has already reduced com yields

significantly. "If the com dies much earlier," saysBob, "it might collapse the com harvest in the US, and

threaten the food chain that it supports."

A question of hugs

In addition to promoting plant diseases, which iswell-

established, spraying Roundup might also promote

insects. That's because many bugs seek sick plants.

Scientists point out that healthy plants produce

nutrients in a form that many insects cannot

assimilate.

Thus, farmers around the world report less insect

problems among high quality, nutrient-dense crops.

Weaker plants, on the other hand, create insect

smorgasbords. This suggests that plants ravaged with

diseases promoted by glyphosate may also attract

more insects, which in tum will increase the use of

toxic pesticides. More study isneeded to confirm this.

Roundup persists in the environment

Monsanto used to boast that Roundup is

biodegradable, claiming that itbreaks down quickly in

the soil. But courts in the US and Europe disagreed

and found them guilty of false advertising. In fact,Monsanto's own test data revealed that only 2% of the

product broke down after 28 days.

Whether glyphosate degrades in weeks, months, or

years varies widely due to factors in the soil, including

pH, clay, types of minerals, residues from Roundup

Ready crops, and the presence of the specialized

enzymes needed to break down the herbicide

molecule.

In some conditions, glyphosate can grab hold of soil

nutrients and remain stable for long periods. One

study showed that ittook up to 22 years for glyphosateto degrade only half its volume! So much for trusting

Monsanto's product claims.

Glyphosate can attack from above and below. It can

drift over from a neighbors farm and wreak havoc.

And it can even be released from dying weeds, travel

through the soil, and then be taken up by healthy

crops.

The amount of glyphosate that can cause damage is

tiny. European scientists demonstrated that less than

half an ounce per acre inhibits the ability of plants to

take up and transport essential micronutrients.

As a result, more and more farmers are finding that

crops planted in years after Roundup is applied suffer

from weakened defenses and increased soilborne

diseases. The situation is getting worse for many

reasons.

D The glyphosate concentration in the soil builds

up season after season with each subsequent

application.

D Glyphosate can also accumulate for 6-8 years

inside perennial plants like alfalfa, which get sprayed

over and over.

D Glyphosate residues in the soil that become

bound and immobilized can be reactivated by the

application of phosphate fertilizers or through other

methods. Potato growers in the West and Midwest, for

example, have experienced severe losses from

glyphosate that has been reactivated.




D Glyphosate can find its way onto farmland

accidentally, through drifting spray, in contaminated

water, and even through chicken manure!

Imagine the shock of farmers who spread chicken

manure in their fields to add nutrients, but insteadfound that the glyphosate in the manure tied up

nutrients in the soil, promoted plant disease, and

killed off weeds or crops. Test results of the manure

showed glyphosate/AMPA concentrations at a

whopping 0.36-0.75 parts per million (ppm). The

normal herbicidal rate of glyphosate is about 0.5

ppm/acre.

Manure from other animals may also be spreading the

herbicide, since US livestock consume copious

amounts of glyphosatewhich accumulates in com

kernels and soybeans. If it isn't found in livestock

manure (or urine), that may be even worse. Ifglyphosate is not exiting the animal, it must be

accumulating with every meal, ending up in our meat

and possibly milk.

Add this threat to the already high glyphosate residues

inside our own diets due to com and soybeans, and we

have yet another serious problem threatening our

health. Glyphosate has been linked to sterility,

hormone disruption, abnormal and lower sperm

counts, miscarriages, placental cell death, birth

defects, and cancer, to name a few.

Nutrient loss in humans and animals

The same nutrients that glyphosate chelates and

deprives plants are also vital for human and animal

health. These include iron, zinc, copper, manganese,

magnesium, calcium, boron, and others. Deficiencies

of these elements in our diets, alone or in

combination, are known to interfere with vital

enzyme systems and cause a long list of disorders and

diseases.

Alzheimer's, for example, is linked with reduced

copper and magnesium. Don Huber points out that

this disease has jumped 9000% since 1990.

Manganese, zinc, and copper are also vital for proper

functioning of the SOD (superoxide dismustase)

cycle. This is key for stemming inflammation and is

an important component in detoxifying unwanted

chemical compounds in humans and animals.

Glyphosate-induced mineral deficiencies can easily

go unidentified and untreated. Even when laboratory

tests are done, they can sometimes detect adequate

mineral levels, but miss the fact that glyphosate hasalready rendered them unusable.

Glyphosate can tie up minerals for years and years,

essentially removing them from the pool of nutrients

available for plants, animals, and humans. If we

combine the more than 135 million pounds of

glyphosate-based herbicides applied in the US in20 10

with total applications over the past 30 years, we may

have already eliminated millions of pounds of

nutrients from our food supply.

This loss is something we simply can't afford. We're

already suffering from progressive nutrientdeprivation even without Roundup. In a UK study, for

example, they found between 16-76% less nutrients in

1991, compared to levels in the same foods in 1940.

Livestock disease and mineral deficiency

Roundup Ready crops dominate US livestock feed.

Soy and com are most prevalent93% of US soy and

nearly 70% of com are Roundup Ready. Animals are

also fed derivatives of the other three Roundup Ready

crops: canola, sugar beets, and cottonseed. Nutrient

loss from glyphosate can therefore be severe.

This is especially true for manganese (Mn), which is

not only chelated by glyphosate, but also reduced in

Roundup Ready plants (see photo). One veterinarian

finds low manganese in every livestock liver he

measures.

Another vet sent the liver of a stillborn calf out for

testing. The lab report stated: No Detectible Levels of

Manganesein spite of the fact that the mineral was in

adequate concentrations in his region. When that vet

started adding manganese to the feed of a herd, disease

rates dropped from a staggering 20% to less than 1;2%.

Veterinarians who started their practice after GMOs

were introduced in 1996 might assume that many

chronic or acute animal disorders are common and to

be expected. But several older vets have stated flat out

that animals have gotten much sicker since GMOs




came on the scene. And when they switch livestock

from GMO to non-GMO feed, the improvement in

health is dramatic. Unfortunately, no one is tracking

this, nor is anyone looking at the impacts of

consuming milk and meat from GM-fed animals.

Alfalfa madness, brought to you by Monsanto and

the USDA

As we continue to drench our fields with Roundup, the

perfect storm gets bigger and bigger. Don asks the

sobering question: "How much of the hundreds of

millions of pounds of glyphosate that have been

applied to our most productive farm soils over the past

30 years is still available to damage subsequent crops

through its effects on nutrient availability, increased

disease, or reduced nutrient of our food and feed?"

Instead of taking urgent steps to protect our land andfood, the USDA just made plans to make things

worse. In December they released their

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on Roundup

Ready alfalfa, which Monsanto hopes to reintroduce

to the market.

Alfalfa is the fourth largest crop in the US, grown on

22 million acres. It is used primarily as a high protein

source to feed dairy cattle and other ruminant animals.

At present, weeds are not a big deal for alfalfa.

Only 7% of alfalfa acreage is ever sprayed with an

herbicide of any kind. If Roundup Ready alfalfa isapproved, however, herbicide use would jump to

unprecedented levels, and the weed killer of choice

would of course be Roundup.

Even without the application of glyphosate, the

nutritional quality of Roundup Ready alfalfa will be

less, since Roundup Ready crops, by their nature,

have reduced mineral . When glyphosate is applied,

nutrient quality suffers even more.

The chance that Roundup would increase soilborne

diseases in alfalfa fields is a near certainty. In fact,

Alfalfa may suffer more than other Roundup Ready

crops. As a perennial, it can accumulate Roundup year

after year. It is a deep-rooted plant, and glyphosate

leaches into sub soils. And "Fusarium is a very serious

pathogen of alfalfa," says Don.

"So too are Phytophthora and Pythium," both of

which are promoted by glyphosate. "Why would you

even consider jeopardizing the productivity and

nutrient quality of the third most valuable crop in the

US?" he asks in frustration, "especially since we have

no way of removing the gene once it is spreadthroughout the alfalfa gene pool."

It's already spreading. Monsanto had marketed

Roundup Ready alfalfa for a year, until a federal court

declared its approval to be illegal in 2007. They

demanded that the USDA produce an EIS in order to

account for possible environmental damage.

But even with the seeds taken off the market, the RR

alfalfa that had already been planted has been

contaminating non-GMO varieties. Cal/West Seeds,

for example, discovered that more than 12% of their

seed lots tested positive for contamination in 2009, upfrom3%in2008.

In their EIS, the USDA does acknowledge that

genetically modified alfalfa can contaminate organic

and non-GMO alfalfa, and that this could create

economic hardship. They are even considering the

unprecedented step of placing restrictions on RR

alfalfa seed fields, requiring isolation distances.

Experience suggests that this will slow down, but not

eliminate GMO contamination. Furthermore, studies

confirm that genes do transfer from GM crops into soil

and soil organisms, and canjump into fungus throughcuts on the surface ofGM plants. But the EIS does not

adequately address these threats and their

implications.

Instead, the USDA largely marches lock-step with the

biotech industry and turns a blind eye to the

widespread harm that Roundup is already inflicting. If

they decide to approve Monsanto's alfalfa, the USDA

may ultimately be blamed for a catastrophe of epic

proportions.

Executive director, Institute for Responsible

Technology.

Http://www.responsibletechnology.org/blog/664


http://http//www.responsibletechnology.org/blog/664

http://http//www.responsibletechnology.org/blog/664



Indian researchers working on pesticides

that use nanoparticiesIdiancientists are working on developing the nextgeneration of pesticides that employ nanoparticles,

have potentially reduced toxicity, and candramatically slash costs and in the next few years

challenge the 2,000 crore pesticide market in India.

Researchers at the Kolkata-based Indian Statistical

Institute (lSI) have developed techniques to modify themolecular structure of silica, a commonly available

compound, to use it as a pesticide. Silica is used in a

variety of non-agricultural applications and isconsidered harmless to humans. To commercialize this

technology, the researchers have filed for patents, tied

up with a company, and secured funding from thedepartment ofbiotechnology to improve their process.

Nanoparticles are ordinary elements crushed to athousandth ofthe width of a human hair. At those levels,

elements show dramatically altered propertiesforexample, some that conduct electricity become non-

conductorsthat scientists are now trying to apply to a

variety of commercial applications.

Silica, in its nanoscopic avatar and used as a pesticide,

can fatally drain key lipids out of a pest.

"When used this way, the volume of pesticide required

to kill a pest dramatically reduces, and this can be easilywashed away.When there areno residues, toxicological

effects cease to be a problem," said R.R. Sinha, an

official at the department of biotechnologycoordinating the project. Scientists associated with the

project say three-year-long tests have shown thatpesticides in this form were effective in containing

pests such as rice weevils and mustard aphids. Rice is

among the biggest consumers of pesticides, followedby cotton, onwhich studies are yet to be done.

The focus of the scientists' research is to be absolutelysure that nanoparticles are not in any way harmful to

humans. "We have tested particles ranging from 15-60nanometre in size on several kinds of tissue, includingthe spleen and liver," said Arunava Goswami, an

associate professor at lSI and the key scientistassociated with the project. "However, there are some

tests to be done on lung tissue and we also have to study

the effects of particles below 15 nanometre to be

entirely safe."

A commercial product, though, is unlikely to hit the

market before 2013, primarily because few companieshave the facilities to manufacture nanoparticles in

quantities above 100kg, said Goswami. "For

commercial purposes, you need to manufacture intonnes, and such facilities don't exist yet. Also, just like

genetically modified crops, there's likely to be concerns

on the health effects of nanoparticles ..That's why we'retrying to address these issues early on," said Goswami.

He added that using nanoparticles would sharp lyreduce

the cost ofmanufacturing pesticides.

"As an example, we need, say,2,000 units of a pesticide

to kill a certain quantity of pests, but with these

nanoparticles you need only 125 units to achieve asimilar results. That could dramatically cut

manufacturing costs," said Goswami. Nathan Daniel, a

chemical engineer at the University of Delhi, saidseveral international companies were working on

nanoparticle-based fertilizers that would significantlychange the pesticides market. "Several patents have

been filed internationally ... It's something that will be a

major game changer," he said.

Studies have suggested that nanoparticles could easilylodge themselves within the body and cause respiratoryproblems, Mint had reported in January 2008. In 2006,

several German firms were forced to withdraw their

cleaning products, all of which claimed to usenanoparticles. Many of these products caused

respiratory problems.

But a study by the German Federal Institute for Risk

Assessment found that while these effects were causedby the products, none of them actually contained

nanoparticles. K. Sridhar, a microbiologist at

Mangalore University who has authored a research

paper on nanotechnology pollution, said that whilesome studies have showed that nanoparticles have

adverse health effects, most showed they had none.

Source: livemint.




"Resolutions Passed In National Convention of

Bharatiya Krishak Samaj'

* Dr. Krishan Bir Chaudhary

TheNational Convention of Bharatiya

Krishak Samaj was held at

Kokamthan, Kopargaon, distt.

Ahmadnagar (Maharashtra) on 24th

Dec., 2010. The following resolutions

havebeenpassed:

Minimum Support Price : The

minimum support price (MSPs) of

different crops estimated by the

Commission for Agricultural Costs &

Prices (CACP) are low and not

remunerative. There is need for up-

gradation ofthe methods for estimation of

real cost of production and arriving at the

real remunerative prices. The process

should be transparent and open to

farmers.

SeedBill- 2010: If the Govt. wants to re-

introduce the "Seed Bill- 2010", it shouldincorporate the all recommendations of

the Parliamentary Standing Committee

on Agriculture, because seed is the basic

need for food security which should not

be surrendered to corporate & MNC's at

any cost. Further there is no need for any

new act for regulating the seed sector. The

PVP & FR Act is already TRIPS

consistent and there is no need for a patent

regime on microorganisms, genes and

other life forms.

Agriculture research: The agriculture

research model has gone on wrong track,

it needs the immediate changes. It should

be based on natural resource management

in different agro climatic zones. The country

needs the 'Farmers Centric Agriculture

Model', the Corporate Agriculture Model is

not fit for the country. The agriculture

research and extension services literature

must be promoted in local languages.

The Govt. should put moratorium onGM

Crops: The Govt. should put moratorium on

GM Crops in the Country because GM Crops

will not increase the productivity and these

crops will polluted the seeds of farmers

owned traditional varieties by cross-

pollination. Under IPR regime there is a

game of MNCs to capture the seed security

for royalty. Because seed is the basic need of

food security, if seed will be controlled by

MNCs then automatically food security will

be govern & controlled by them.

Subsidy: The total amount of subsidy onagriculture should be given directly to

Farmers in there accounts as per the holdings.

Because the farmers is not getting the benefit

of the subsidy. The all developed countries is

giving Subsidies directly to the Farmers.

National Horticulture Mission: The aim of

this mission was to develop and strengthen

the horticulture sector. But this mission has

become a private limited company. The small

and marginal farmers is not getting anybenefit ofthe schemes ofthis mission.

SEZs : The Govt. should scrap all Special

Economic Zones setup on farm lands

acquired for real state business from farmers




against a mere compensation, SEZs should

not be promoted as such policy tends to usurp

fertile farmlands leading to food security

problem. Itcan develop on waste land only.

Agrobased SmallScaleIndustrial Units in

Rural Area: Sustenance isjust not possible

from ever increasing fragmentation of family

farms. To give employment for unemployed

youths in Rural Area. The Govt. should

come-up on agro based small industrial units

Impact of WTO: Unfortunately Indian

agriculture has been dragged into the ambit

of the WTO and the Govt. have given market

access for agro produces at a time when the

developed countries have distorted globalprices by their huge support to their farm

sector. In this situation Indian farmers cannot

compete with the farmers in the developed

world. Both EU and US have protected their

markets through high tariffs barriers and non-

tariff barriers. The US through its Farm Bill

in the villages and should provide adequate

incentive, technical and financial assistance.

Dairy, Poultry, Fishery etc. The govt.

should promote and protect these sectors.

The research should be done for the

improvement of Indian Cow breeds. They

have very good immune system against

diseases and suitable for our climate.

has increased direct payments to farmers by

10% over the previous years. Ithas increased

direct payments by $ 5.5 billion.

Irrigation Facilities: The Govt. should plan

the policies to recharge the level of ground

water. The irrigation projects and schemes to

be made on priorities and the funds allotted to

state Govt.'s should not be diverted to other

rip irrigation system for irrigation to save the




heads. Because the water is the lifeline of

agriculture, therefore, it should be saved. The

farmers should use the sprinkler and drip

irrigation system for irrigation to save the

water. The Govt. should give subsidy on itdirectly to farmers.

Productivity of crops not increasing: The

soil health and water-management , both

components play the most important role to

Climate Change on Agriculture: India has

to takes the climate change issues it needs the

following drastically reform in its internal

agricultural policy on a war footing on

mitigation and adaption :

A) Zero Tolerance to conversion of

agricultural land for non-agricultural use.

B) Tomake few regions in India chemical and

increase the productivity. The soil health

have degraded due to synthetic fertilization

and the huge deficiency of micro organisms

in the soil have occur. The only way is green

manures and compost fertilization torecharge the soil health. The policies to be

adopted on priority for water management to

increase the irrigation area. The ground

water level should be recharged by flood

water through big bores inRivers.

synthetic fertilizer free by 2020.

C) Urgent initiative to conserve biomass in

the farm and Waste Recycling for

Agriculture.

D) Incorporate in situ tree planting in all

farming, adopt a Mixed farming as means to

combat climate change.




E) Special Mission initiated at the Country

level to shift crop acreage to Course Cereal

and Millets to enhance nutrition value of

food basket and help agriculture to adapt to

climate change.

F) Free all the water bodies like ponds, lakes

and tanks from illegal possession as per

revenue record of every village and reforms

initiated at the state level to rectify the same

and scale up the level of water harvesting at a

decentralized level.

G) Special Intervention from Indian

Government to regulate the flood water for

effective recharge using deep boretechnologies at suitable depths.

H) Scaling up the organic agriculture and

developing model centre of excellence and

shift agriculture subsidies for intensive

organic practices.

I) Revitalise the rural credit and crop

insurance in the context of Climate change.

J) Launching of Sustainable TraditionalAgricultural Revolution (STAR) using local

resources for beating climate change.

Export of Organic Foods : There is an

increasing demand and unlimited scope for

the export of organic food across the world

and Indian farmers are missing this

opportunity. The Government agencies

NHB and APEDA should take the

responsibility and bear the cost of

certification of organic produces which is

presently high and beyond the reach of

farmers. The Government should also give

adequate level of subsidies for cultivation of

organic produce and for encouraging their

exports. North East states have great

potential for the organic produce of

Horticulture and Floriculture crops for

export. The Agriculture Export Zone should

be promoted in the country.

Imports ofAgro-produce :With a view to

contain rising prices, the government is

encouraging import of agro produces. This

measure will be detrimental to farmers'

interest in the long run and destroy country's

food security. Imports of agro commodities

should not be encouraged.

Exempt Agro Machines, Tools,

Equipments etc., from Excise & Vat :Utili ty items like tractor, agricultural

equipments & machineries , drip and

sprinkler irrigation installations, fertilizers,

seeds and agro-chemicals should be kept out

from the ambit of excise and vat. Also, the

subsidy on them should be enhanced and

given directly to the farmers.

Testing Laboratories : Well equipped soil,

fertilizer, agro-chemicals and seeds testing

laboratories should be established in every

district headquarter for the benefit of the

farmers. Because there is a big problem of

spurious and sub standard Pesticides ,Agro-

chemicals & Micro- nutrients even the

adulterated fertilizers like DAP in the

country.

Farmers' representation: The Govt. should

co-opt farmer leaders in all decision making

bodies related to agriculture so as to make the

policies more realistic, effective and action

oriented.




GMOs are a cause of hunger, debt and suicides

* Dr. Vandana Shiva

GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) continue to be promoted as the onlysolution to hunger and food security.

However, the tools of genetic engineering are

merely tools of transferring genes across

species boundaries. They are not tools of

breeding.

The breeding is still done through conventional

methods. The yield of a crop is determined by

conventional technologies, not by genetic

engmeenng.

Yield is a multigenetic trait, and genetic engineering

cannot deal with complex traits. The report "Failure to

Yield" of the Union of Concerned Scientists shows

that in no crop has genetic engineering contributed to

yield increase. The yield trait comes from the variety

into which a GM trait is introduced.

AsAndrew Pollock observes

"The yield of a crop is mainly determined by the seeds

intrinsic properties, not the inserted gene. An insect

resistant protection gene will not make a poor variety

a high yielder."

The claim that GMOs will increase food security is

therefore an unscientific myth.

Over the twenty years of commercialization of

GMOs, two traits account for most genetic

modification. These are crops into which a gene has

been added to resist herbicides (herbicide resistant

crops) or a gene has been added to resist pests (Bt.

Crops).

The former are supposed to control weeds, the latter

are supposed to control pests. However, herbicideresistant crops have led to evolution of super weeds,

and pest resistant crops have led to creation of super

pests.

Monsanto, which controls 95% of all GM seeds sold

introduced Round-up Ready Crops for herbicide

resistance. When superweeds started to overtake

crops, Monsanto introduced Round-Up Ready II. In

2010, it introduced smart stax with eight toxic genes 6

for insecticides and 2 for herbicide resistance.

Monsanto's strategy was to "create a captive customer

base" through stacking 8 toxic genes.

The strategy was a failure. Monsanto lost 47% of its

shares, and is paying U.S farmers $12/acre to dealwith the problems created by its GMO seeds. If one

toxic gene goes not control pests and instead creates

super pests, stacking 6 insecticidal genes will only

accelerate the emergence of resistance.

Monsanto, and others who promote GMOs forget

Einsteins observations that insanity is doing the same

thing over and over again and expecting a different

result.

Another senous issue related to GMOs is the

destruction of biodiversity, and the creation of

mono cultures and monopolies. India had 1500varieties of cotton. Today 95% of the cotton grown is

Bt. Cotton. And most of the Bt. Cotton is owned and

controlled by Monsanto through licensing

arrangements.

Monsanto charges Rs. 50 Lakh as an initial license fee

and then royalty. When GM Bt. Cotton was

introduced, prices of cotton seed jumped from Rs.

5/kg to Rs. 1600/450gm of which the royalty was Rs.

725. If this extraction of super profits had continued, it

translated into an annual transfer ofRs. 1000 crore or

Rs. 10billion from poor Indian farmers toMonsanto.

For the farmer this means debt. And debt has pushed

250,000 farmers to suicide over the past 15 years.

Most of these suicides are concentrated in the cotton

belt, andmost ofthe cotton is now GMO cotton.




An anti-trust case against Monsanto filed by the

Government of Andhra Pradesh has forced the

company to reduce the price of Bt. Cotton, but the

introduction of Bollgard II has pushed the prices up

agam.

Another serious issue related to GMOs is conflict of

interest. In India, the same scientists who promote

GMOs sit on regulatory bodies.

When the Environment Minister asked the 6

Academies of Science to provide their scientific

inputs for the Bt. Brinjal Moratorium, what they

submitted was propaganda material lifted verbatim

from industry literature.

Even in Europe, the revolving door exists between

industry and regulatory body. Suzy Renkins who

worked for the European Food Safety Authority wasalso associated with Syngenta.

Dr. Harry Kruper, the Chair of an EFSA panel was

also involved in a research programme involving

Bayer, Monsanto and Syngenta. The situation is

worse in the U.S where the biotechnology industry

literally runs all Government agencies.

That is why the U.S Government tried to sue Europe

in WTO for the GMO bans in some countries. We had

to organize a massive global campaign and submitted

60 million signatures to WTO at the HongKong

Ministerial to prevent the removal ofthe bans.

And the recent news has been released through

WikiLeaks that the U.S Ambassador Craig Stapleton

urged George Bush to start a military style trade war

against GM skeptics in Europe "country team Paris

recommends that we calibrate a target retaliation list

that causes some pain across the EU since this is a

collective responsibility but that also focuses in part

on the worst culprits" hewrote.

Nina Fedroff was sent to India in February 2010 to try

and prevent the moratorium on Bt. Brinjal. At a

biotechnology industry conference, a U.S State

Department official said "we will aggressively

confront the Naysayers around the world".

India is planning to replace the rules under the

Environment Protection Act with a Biotechnology

20

Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) Act which

would give fast track approvals to GMOs and throw

critics into jail.

The recently appointed Minister of Science and

Technology, Ashwini Kumar has announced that theGovernment is planning to introduce four Bills in the

upcoming Budget session of the Parliament, namely

Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India Bill,

DNA Profiling Bill, Regional Center for

Biotechnology Bill and Public Funded R&D

(Protection and Utilization of Public Funded

Intellectual Property) Bill.

The Prime Minister's office has written to the States to

establish partnerships with corporations in the seed

sector. Monsanto has signed MOU's with six States.

This rush to push genetically modified and patentedseeds, ignores the evidence that GMOs will not

provide food security.

A failed and hazardous technology such as genetic

engineering can only be pushed through such

dictatorial means. GMOs and democracy cannot co-

exist. GMO free food and agriculture is necessary for

creating food security and defending food democracy.

T o p r o t e c t t h e e n v i r o n m e n t:

f o r e s t r y s h o u ld b e p r o m o t e d ,

D e fo r e s t a t i o n s h o u l d b e p r e v e n te d .

- A a s t h a C h a u d h a r y -

Kisan Ki Awaaz February - 2011



Viruses and Virus Nucleic Acid Contaminate

Many Vaccines

R isk s of c anc er a nd c rea tion of ne w p ath og ens sh ou ld not b e u nd erp la ye d b y reg ula tors* Prof. Joe Cummins

Garbage viruses and DNAin vaccines

Vaccines are currently produced using fertilized

chicken eggs, cell culture or a combination of egg and

cell culture. An 'attenuated' vaccine is created from a

pathogen by reducing its virulence, but still keeping it

viable, in contrast to those produced by 'killing' the

virus (inactivated vaccine). Inactivation is done by

selecting non-pathogenic strains of the pathogen after

treatment such as heat or cold culture, or targeteddeletion ofvirulence genes.

Many live attenuated vaccines are produced using cell

culture. A number of such vaccines have been found

to contain not only the live attenuated viral pathogen

but also contaminating viruses or viral nucleic acid .

These contaminants are garbage, and people

administering such vaccines should inform patients of

potential risks associated with the garbage. Recently,

the United States Food and Drug Administration

(FDA) acknowledged the contamination of the live

attenuated rotavirus vaccine (to prevent traveller's

diarrhoea) and suspended the vaccine, but laterdecided that the benefits of the vaccination outweigh

potential contamination risks. The FDA opinion is

premature because the circovirus contaminating the

vaccine is active in replication, transcription and

translation of viral genes and able to produce toxic

products. Contaminated vaccines are not isolated

cases, they arewidespread.

Lessons from SV40 contaminated vaccines

Simian virus 40 (SV 40) is a monkey virus

inadvertently administered to human populations in

contaminated vaccines produced in SV40-infectedmonkey cells. Molecular biology and

epidemiological studies suggest that SV40 may be

contagiously transmitted in humans by horizontal

infection, independently of the earlier administration

of SV40-contaminated vaccines. In humans, SV40

has been found associated at high prevalence with

specific tumour types such as brain and bone tumours,

mesotheliomas and lymphomas and with kidney

diseases . SV40 was discovered as a contaminant of

poliovirus vaccine lots distributed to millions of

individuals in the United States between 1955 and

1963; and contaminated vaccine batches were later

circulated worldwide. After SV40 was observed to

cause animal and human cell transformations in

culture, and tumour formations in animals,researchers began to search for SV40 in human

cancers.

For example, a 2005 study undertaken in Costa-Rica

showed that SV40 is significantly associated with

cancers of the immune system . US FDA

acknowledges that the SV 40 virus (simian virus 40

from monkey kidney cells) was in the early polio

vaccines and its risks : "The experience in the early

1960s with SV40 contamination of poliovirus and

adenovirus vaccines and the continuing questions

regarding whether SV40 could be responsible for

some human neoplasms [cancers] underscores theimportance of keeping viral vaccines free of

adventitious agents. SV40 contamination of polio

vaccines is an old lesson that seems to have been

ignored in the current rush to profit from

manufacturing vaccines.

Numerous vaccines for humans are contaminated

There are numerous cases of documented

contaminated vaccines intended for humans. Measles

vaccine Attenuvax grown in chicken embryo

fibroblast cells was contaminated with Avian leucosis

(myeloid leucosis cancer virus) and avian endogenousretrovirus. Yellow fever vaccine YFvax grown in

chicken embryo fibroblast cells was contaminated

with avian endogenous retrovirus. Herpes 3 vaccine

Varivax grown in MRC-5 human cells from aborted

foetuses was contaminated with human endogenous




retrovirus K. Rota virus vaccine Rotarix grown in

Vero E6 (African green monkey ) cells was

contaminated with with porcine circovirus 1 and

porcine circovirus 2. Rotavirus Rotateq vaccine

grown in Vero (African monkey) cells had Baboon

endogenous retrovirus as contaminant. Measlesmumps vaccine MMR II grown in chicken fibroblast

cells had Avian endogenous retrovirus and human

endogenous retrovirus K as contaminants; and

Rubella vaccine grown in WI-38 human diploid lung

fibroblast cells was contaminated with Human

endogenous retrovirus K. Rubella vaccine meruvax II

grown inWI-38 human lung fibroblast cells contained

human endogenous retrovirus-K.

Veterinary vaccines are similarly contaminated. The

genomes of all animal species are colonized by

endogenous retroviruses (ERVs). Although most

ERVs have accumulated defects that render themincapable of replication, fully infectious ERVshave

been identified in various mammals. A feline

infectious ERV (RD-114w) was isolated from many

live attenuated vaccines for pets. Isolation ofRD-114

was done independently in two laboratories using

different detection strategies and from vaccines for

both cats and dogs commercially available in Japan or

the UK.

The study shows that the methods currently employed

to screen veterinary vaccines for retroviruses are

inadequate and should be re-evaluated . Tests of

veterinary vaccines for viral contamination inHungary found that a torquetenovirus (TTV), a very

small circular single stranded DNA virus, was present

in many vaccines including avian vaccines. The

presence of any extraneous agent may have a

significant impact on the safety of the vaccine.

A rogues' gallery of vaccine contaminating viruses

and DNA

Avian leukosis (myeloid leukosis cancer virus)

Avian leukosis virus (ALV-J) appears to be a

recombinant of an exogenous avian leukosis virus

(ALV) with an envelope (env) gene probably

originating from an endogenous (subgroup E) ALV.

ALV-J can infect cell cultures from other avian

species, but not mammalian cells. No genetically

resistant meat-type strain of chickens has been found

to date. Commercial Leghorn chickens appear to be

resistant to tumour development, but they may be

susceptible to infection. Most tumours associated

with ALV-J infection are expressed as

myeloblastomas or myelocytomas. Even though the

bird cancer virus does not appear to infect mammals,the persistent exposure of young human may select

mutations of the virus that are virulent in people; and

virulent recombinants can always be created with

endogenous human viruses.

Avian endogenous retrovirus

Avian endogenous retrovirus (AER) are a highly

diverse group comprising many inserts into the

chicken genome. There are three families of such

endogenous retroviruses, related respectively to avian

sarcoma or leukosis cancer virus, mouse leukemia

viruses, and human endogenous retroviruses. Most ofthe AER are dormant in the chicken chromosomes, but

several are active and capable of making RNA

transcripts . The active transcripts may replicate by

reverse transcription and recombine with related

viruses.

Human endogenous retrovirus K

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are

suspects in some autoimmune diseases, in particular,

multiple sclerosis; a member of the family of human

endogenous retrovirus W has been identified as "MS-

associated retrovirus" (MSRV). HERVs comprisenearly 8 percent of the human genome, with 98 000

elements and fragments ; all appear to be defective,

containing nonsense mutations or major deletions,

and cannot produce infectious virus particles. Most

are remnants of viruses that integrated many millions

of years ago. However, one family HERV-K

(comprising less than 1 percent of HERV elements)-

have been active since the divergence of humans and

chimpanzees, and is one ofthe most studied.

There are indications ithas even been active in the past

few hundred thousand years, as some human

individuals carry more copies of the virus. The lack of

elements with a full coding potential within the

published human genome sequence suggests that the

family is less likely to be active at present. HERV-K

contaminants in vaccines should not be considered

innocuous as they may recombine with related viruses




orwith viral sequences in the human chromosome.

Baboon endogenous retrovirus

Baboon endogenous retrovirus (BERV) is a

inactivated retroviral sequence. BERVs are alsofound in the African green monkey . BERV

circulating in the bloodstream of humans could

conceivably mutate and recombine to form a virus

that could spread rapidly in the human population

because the virus is new to the immune repertoire of

the human.

Feline infectious ERV (RD-114)

An infectious endogenous retrovirus was discovered

in live attenuated vaccine for cats and dogs. EVR RD-

114 is related to other oncogenic virus such as feline

leuekemia virus and mouse leukemia virus 83 .

Porcine circovirus 1 and porcine circovirus 2

The pig circoviruses are small circular single stranded

DNA viruses. Type 1 virus does not cause illness in

pigs while type 3 virus causes a serious wasting

disease of young pigs. The viruses are frequently

found infecting mammalian cell lines. Circovirus

type 1and type 2 infect many human cell types. Type 1

virus proliferates without causing distinct cell

damage while type 2 virus does . Type 2 virus causes

cytoskeleton rearrangements in dendritic cells,

leading to immunosuppression.

Porcine circovirus is lodged in the cell nucleus where

it is replicated. Replication is by a rolling circle

mechanism where the single stranded viral

chromosomes are rolled off a double stranded

replicative master. The virus is so small that it only has

room for a few genes including two genes for

initiating DNA replication along with genes for

nuclear localization and viral coat protein and a few

genes for virulence. The host cell nucleus provides the

enzymes for DNA replication .

Torquetenovirus (TTV)

Torquetenoviruses (TTVs) are vertebrate infecting,

single-stranded circular DNA viruses. Two

genetically distinct TTV groups (TTV1 and TTV2)

infect swine worldwide with high prevalence.

Currently, swine TTV s are considered non-

pathogenic, although TTV2 has been linked to post-

weaning multi systemic wasting syndrome, a porcine

circovirus disease TTV replicates similarly to the

circovirus but is much smaller than the circovirus .

TTV is often presumed to be non-pathogenic, and isdistributed widely among mammals including

humans. TTV infection is widely dispersed in the

human population and the virus has been found to

accumulate in the central nervous system and

implicated in dementia . Children with recurrent

pneumonia have been found to lack ciliary motility

associated with high level infection of ciliarycells

withTTV.

To conclude

Human and veterinary vaccines have been found

contaminated with wide array of viruses that aredeemed harmless or less risky than the attenuated live

virus of the vaccine. These contaminating garbage

viruses are nowhere near as well investigated than

they should have been prior to the commercialization

of the vaccines. The contaminating garbage viruses

are deemed harmless because they do not elicit sera

conversion (production of antibody) even though the

garbage viruses frequently produce proteins that are

toxic in specific tissues.

The contaminating garbage vaccines are actively

cytotoxic in some cases, and potentially so in other

cases by mutation or recombination to create newretroviruses that are life threatening. Among the

garbage viruses, the small circular single stranded

DNA viruses deserve special attention as they are so

widespread in the human and animal populations.

Such widespread dispersal of TTV and circoviruses

could cause disaster. The first step in dealing with the

garbage viruses is to provide informed consent to

those being vaccinated with contaminated vaccines.

The second is to carry out post-release monitoring for

potential hazards from mutation and recombination,

as highlighted in this article.

H t t P II w ww isis.org.ukIViruses _and _Virus _Nucleic _Acid _Con

taminate_ Vaccines.php




USDADecision onGE Alfalfa Leaves Door

Open for Contalllination, Rise of Superweeds

*ROGUE AGENCY CHOOSES "BUSINESS AS USUAL" OVER SOUND SCIENCE

* CENTER ANNOUNCES IMMEDIATE LEGAL CHALLENGE TO USDA'S FLAWED ASSESSMENT

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 27,2011 The Center for

Food Safety (CFS) criticized the announcement today by

the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that it will

once again allow unlimited, nation-wide commercial

planting of Monsanto's genetically-engineered (GE)

Roundup Ready alfalfa, despite the many risks to organic

and conventional farmers USDA acknowledged in its

Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). On a call

today with stakeholders, Secretary Vilsack reiterated the

concerns surrounding purity and access to non-GE seed,

yet the Agency's decision still places the entire burden for

preventing contamination on non-GE farmers, with no

protections for food producers, consumers and exporters.

"We're disappointed with USDA's decision and we will

be back in court representing the interest of farmers,

preservation of the environment, and consumer choice"

said Andrew Kimbrell, Executive Director for the Center

for Food Safety. "USDA has become a rogue agency in its

regulation of biotech crops and its decision to appease the

few companies who seek to benefit from this technology

comes despite increasing evidence that GE alfalfa will

threaten the rights of farmers and consumers, as well as

damage the environment."

The Center sent an open letter to Secretary Vilsack calling

on USDA to base its decision on sound science and theinterests of farmers, and to avoid rushing the process to

meet the marketing timelines or sales targets ofMonsanto,

Forage Genetics or other entities.

CFS also addressed several key points that were not

properly assessed in the FEIS, among them were:

Liability, Implementation and Oversight -- Citing

over 200 past contamination episodes that have cost

farmers hundreds of millions of dollars in lost sales, CFS

demands that liability for financial losses incurred by

farmers due to transgenic contamination be assigned to

the crop developers. CFS also calls on USDA to take a

more active oversight role to ensure that any stewardship

plans are properly implemented and enforced.

.Roundup Ready alfalfa will substantially increase

herbicide use USDA's assessment misrepresented

conventional alfalfa as utilizing more herbicides than it

does, which in tum provided a false rationale for

introducing herbicide-promoting Roundup Ready alfalfa.

In fact, USDA's own data shows that just 7% of alfalfa hay

acres are treated with herbicides. USDA's projections in

the FEIS show that substantial adoption of Roundup

Ready alfalfa would trigger large increases in herbicide

use of up to 23 millionlbs. per year.

.Harms from glyphosate-resistant weeds USDA's sloppy

and unscientific treatment of glyphosate-resistant (GR)

weeds ignored the significant contribution that RR alfalfa

could make to their rapid evolution. USDA failed to

analyze how GR weeds fostered by currently grown RR

crops are increasing herbicide use; spurring more use of

soil-eroding tillage; and reducing farmer income throughincreased weed control costs, an essential baseline

analysis.

"We in the farm sector are dissatisfied but not surprised at

the lack of courage from USDA to stop Roundup Ready

alfalfa and defend family farmers," said Pat Trask,

conventional alfalfa grower and plaintiff in the alfalfa

litigation.

The FEIS comes in response to a 2007 lawsuit brought by

CFS, in which a federal court ruled that the USDA's

approval of GE alfalfa violated environmental laws by

failing to analyze risks such as the contamination of

conventional and organic alfalfa, the evolution ofglyphosate-resistant weeds, and increased use of

glyphosate herbicide, sold by Monsanto asRoundup. The

Court banned new plantings of GE alfalfa until USDA

completed a more comprehensive assessment of these

impacts. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals twice

affirmed the national ban on GE alfalfa planting. In June

2010, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the ban on

Monsanto's Roundup Ready Alfalfa until and unless

future deregulation occurs.

"Last spring more than 200,000 people submitted

comments to the USDA highly critical of the substance

and conclusions of its Draft EIS on GE Alfalfa," said

Kimbrell. "Clearly the USDA was not listening to the

public or farmers but rather to just a handful of

corporations. "

Contact: Andrew Kimbrell, Executive Director,

Center for Food Safety: (703) 927-2826




Farmers feed the world* Prodita Sabarini

"The Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed," said activistHenry Saragih, quoting Indian non-violent activist Mahatma Gandhi recently at his office in Jakarta.

The head of the Indonesian Farmers' Union (SPI) and the secretary general of La Via Campesina, a

global alliance of small-scale farmers and rural workers and leads a global movement advocating a

return to locally-produced food to address the global food crisis and environmental degradation.

UK-based weekly The Observer recently listed him as one of the 20 Green Giants, "activists,

filmmakers, writers, politicians and celebrities who will be setting the global environmental agenda in

the coming year". In 2008, The Observer's sister publication, The Guardian, listed him as one of the 50

people who could save the planet.

The UN Food and Agriculture organization(FAO) announced the world's food price index

had hit an all-time high in December,

exceeding that of 2008 when a global food crisis

caused riots in several countries, including Indonesia.

For Henry, the main drivers of the global food crisis

are a global trade system that allows speculators rather

than farmers to control food prices, the use of food for

mechanical and animal farming, and climate change.

Henry said that other experts had cited population

increase as another factor, as world population was

predicted to grow to 9.2 billion in 40 years time, one-third larger than itis now.

Henry, however, added that La Via Campesina

believed the world could feed itself if every country

controlled its food supply what he calls "food

sovereignty" and empowered their own farmers to

provide food for their local communities. Thus, he

quoted Gandhi.

After years of advocating small-scale farmers' and

rural workers' rights, fighting against big

transnational corporations and the World Trade

Organization (WTO), the organization succeeded lastyear in lobbying the UN to recognize the role and

rights of small farmers in the world.

In Indonesia, Henry said his movement was pushing

for a Law on Farmers' Protection and Empowerment

and an amendment of the Law onFood.

La Via Campesina strongly rejects the World Trade

Organization and free trade agreements on

agricultural products, he said.

"Ever since the Uruguay round, hunger problems have

increased, and so has poverty, environmental

degradation, forest destruction, the decreasing of

biodiversity.

And big corporations are taking land from farmers,"

he said, referring to international meetings between

1986 to 1994 that resulted in the establishment of theWTO.

He explained that Indonesia imported soy, fruit, milk

and rice at very low prices, which made it hard for

local farmers to compete in these markets.

This phenomena is taking place in other countries as

well, he went on. Japanese and Korean farmers also

feel the burden of free trade.

"Farmlands are neglected there because, given the

production costs in Japan and Korea, the farmers there

cannot compete with products from other countries,"he said.

In 2003, Korean farmer Lee Kyung-Hae killed

himself in Cancun, Mexico, during a protest against

theWTO.




Korean fanners cannot compete with imported

products such as Australian beef or rice from

Indonesia and Thailand, Henry added.

And while local fanners and farms in Korea were

neglected, in response to the 2008 global food crisis,big transnational companies including Korean

companies started opening farms in developing

countries, including Indonesia.

"Japanese and Korean fanners could actually feed

their communities if the fanners there were given

some support," he said.

Henry argued the neo-liberalist system had created a

chaotic world economy system. He pointed to the

growing number of crops used to feed animals instead

of humans.

"Soy from Latin America is exported to Copenhagen

for the pig industry there to be exported all over the

world," he said. "The production of animal feed is

energy-consuming so is its transportation and for

this the Amazon forest is cleared," he said.

La Via Campesina's slogans include "Fanners feed

the world" and "Small-scale sustainable fanners are

cooling down the Earth".

Henry said La Via Campesina was advocating "food

sovereignty" as a solution to the food crisis and global

warming through agrarian reforms that wouldstrengthen small-scale fanning.

He added that access to food should be seen as a basic

human right and not be treated as commodity.Henry

comes from a family of fanners.

He was born and raised in Tarutung, in a small rural

city inNorth Sumatra.

After graduating from the School of Social Politics of

North Sumatra University in Medan, he returned to

his hometown and saw how fanners there struggled to

survive, as they did not own their own land.

Meanwhile, large swaths of land were given to pulp

and paper companies that polluted the Asahan River.

In 1993, he secretly founded the North Sumatra

Fanners Union, as fanners were not allowed to fonn

unions under the Suharto regime.

The military often raided their meetings, grabbing and

interrogating him in the process. "We had to have

1,000 minds to avoid getting caught," he said.

When people were setting up new political parties on

the eve of the reform era, he and other fanners set up

the SPI.

In 2000, the SPI became the Southeast Asian

representative for La Via Campesina. In 2004, Henry

was elected general coordinator of the movement. He

was re-elected for a second term in 2008.

Henry divides his time between Jakarta, Medan and

the rest ofthe world.

He practically lives in his Jakarta office when working

in the capital, sleeping on a small bed tucked behind a

cabinet.

He returns to Medan almost every three months to see

his family.

"I'm very lucky my wife understands my struggle," he

said. "She's also an activist. She helps out

communities and sets up micro-financing for

women."

Henry said his position as general coordinator of LaVia Campesina would end in 2012. The torch of

leadership as well as the office will be passed on to

fanners inMozambique inAfrica in20 13.

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta




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Green Chemistry from Wastes

* Dr. Mae-Wan Ho

Closed loop zero-waste chemical processing ofwaste biomass from agriculture is the future of

green chemistry, says Prof. James Clark of

York University,

Green Chemistry UK

Green chemistry is thriving in the UK, as Professor

James Clark will tell you. He heads the Green

Chemistry Centre of Excellence, York University, and

is a founding director of the UK-based Green

Chemistry Network.

True to the "closed loop" approach that has beenmaking headway in industry and mainstream politics

(Closed Loop, Cradle to Cradle, Circular Economy &

the New Naturephilia, Clark is especially keen on

using waste as a feedstock for 'biorefineries'.

A typical biorefinery operating on the closed loop

principle sequentially extracts and processes waste

biomass feedstock to obtain a range of valuable plant

products, ending with fuels of various kinds, and the

wastes are further recycled for processing.

Closed loop biorefinery for wheat straw using

waste C02 as solvent

C02 is a waste product from power plants that bum

fossil fuels, and in the manufacture of fertilizers and

cement.

This waste product (and maj or greenhouse gas

responsible for global warming) can be captured for

use, for example, as fire suppressant, in carbonated

beverages, food preservation, and refrigeration, but

the volumes required are typically small.

One potential use that involves large volumes is as an

extraction solvent. Liquid C02 happens to be a verygood organic solvent for extraction; it is easily

removed, and much safer for health and the

environment than the usual organic solvent hexane.

Liquid C02 extraction is more selective, requires

shorter extraction times and no solvent residues willbe left in the product so it is easier to obtain organic

certification.

Yields and properties of oils extracted with C02 are

comparable to those extracted with hexane. Liquid

C02 extraction is already commonly used on an

industrial scale to achieve better quality and taste in

edible oils.

One of the biggest industrial scC02 plants for the

extraction of sesame oil was built in South Korea; it

has an extractor volume of 2 x 3800 litres, and a

pressure of up to 550 bar (1 Bar = 0.9869 atm) iscurrently used.

Other materials such as com, whea tgerm, sunflower

seeds, safflower seeds and peanuts have also been

extracted with scC02. Using this waste resource

(C02) in oil extraction makes

petrochemicallfossilfuel-based solvents redundant.

Another abundant waste product is wheat straw from

agriculture, which is usually simply burnt.

Clark and colleagues propose that wheat straw can be

processed in an integrated, close to zero-waste

biorefinery that combines extraction with liquid C02and low temperature microwave pyrolysis to produce

a variety of products including energy; and the final

waste product C02 can be internally recycled for

extraction.

In the wheat straw biorefinery, C02 is used to extract

complex compounds including fatty acids, wax ester

and fatty alcohols. Low temperature microwave

pyrolysis «200°C) requires less energy and produces

higher quality oils and chars than conventional (high

temperature) pyrolysis.

The oils can be fractionated to produce eithertransport fuels or platform chemicals such as

levoglucosan and levoglucosenone. The chars can be

burnt to provide heat.

The quality of the chars was improved by washing to




remove most of the postassium and chlorine, which

produces fouling.

The economic feasibility (as well as green potential)

is enhanced by integrating the technologies

sequentially in a close to zero waste system,beginning with extraction, followed by a combination

of biochemical and thermal processing, with internal

recycling of energy and waste gases.

Extraction of valuable plant chemicals prior to their

destruction during biochemical and thermal

treatments can significantly increase the overall

financial returns.

Biochemical processing offer advantages in typically

low processing temperatures and high selectivity and

specificity of reactants and products generated.

However, it generally requires pre-treatment of the

biomass, long processing times, large amounts of

space, and difficult lignin treatments; and

downstream processing such as distillation may be

energy intensive.

Alternative thermochemical routes include

gasification, pyrolysis and direct combustion to

produce oils, gas, char or ash.

They are fast and typically continuous systems, but

non-specific, and generally require high temperatures

in excess of 500°C. So it is best to be able to takeadvantage of both technologies in a flexible and

efficient way.

Wheat straw is by no means the only waste biomass

feedstock available. There is a large variety of

biomass wastes containing waxes, lignins, cellulose,

hemicellulose and inorganics that are ideal feedstock

for a biorefinery.

Agricultural residues, and in particular different kinds

of straw, are amaj or source of available biomass in the

UK. The main technologies in a biorefinery are

extraction, biochemical and thermochemical

processes.

Compared with traditional technologies, the team say

, "a near to zero-waste biorefinery leads to a diverse

and intricate web ofproducts for different markets."

Alab experiment for proof of concept

In order to provide proof of concept for the scheme

presented in Fig. 1, the team used wheat straw pellets

(7mm diameter) from Jackson Farms, UK, containing

10 percent moisture and a density of 1.2 g/cm3 asfeedstock.

These were air dried and milled, and extracted for wax

with scC02 at various temperatures (40-100 DC)and

pressures (100-300 bar) for 2 h with a 40 g/min flow

rate.

After that, samples of 150 to 200 g straw pellets was

treated with microwave at max power of 1 200 W at

2.45 Ghzatbelow 180°C.

The first stage is the extraction of valuable

compounds using scC02 to substitute for organicsolvents.

The waxy cuticle of straw can be selectively extracted

using scC02, which leaves no solvent residue, so the

products can be used in food, personal care or

pharmaceutical applications.

It has already been employed commercially for hop

extraction, decaffeination and coffee and dry

cleaning.

Compared with hexane, wax yields with scC02 at 100

°C are the same, but unwanted co-extractedcontaminants such as pigments, polar lipids and free

sugars are far greater in hexane.

The wax extracts contain fatty acids, alkanes,

aldehydes, dike tones and wax esters, all having

commercial applications as lubricants, food

flavourings, or replacements for paraffin waxes in

cosmetics. The C02 can be recycled.

Microwave pyrolysis of the extracted wheat straw

pellets yields a high quality char (30 percent) superior

to those from conventional methods and with

enhanced energy value, making it suitable as a coal

replacement.

The process also yields the following: bio-oil (20

percent) suitable for upgrading to liquid fuel, an

aqueous solution of organic acids and aldehydes, an




aqueous solution of sugars (35 percent), and a gas

fraction (14 percent) containing combustible organic

compounds (CO and methane) that could be used to

produce energy.

The bio-oil is potentially one of the most valuableproducts ofwheat straw microwave pyrolysis as it can

partly replace crude oil for producing transport fuels

and chemicals.

The major hydrocarbon component in the microwave

pyrolysis oil is 2,3-dihydrobenzofuran, and a high

yield ofmonosaccharides such as levoglucosan.

The former is useful in the pharmaceutical industry as

therapeutic or prophylactic agents, as inhibitor for

lipoperoxide production and cytoprotective agent.

The sugars could be separated from the oil by simplewater extraction into a second aqueous fraction. This

opens up the possibility of taking sugars from the oil

and upgrading them. Levoglucosan is attractive as

feedstock for fermentation.

It has been shown that levoglucosan produced by

pyrolysis of cellulose can be fermented to citric acid

by the fungus Aspergillus niger.

Levoglucan itself has been identified as a key

renewable platform molecule for more selective

chemistry such as the synthesis of polysaccharides

possessing biological activity, for example, anti-HIVand blood anticoagulants.

Acid base additives influence the yield of different

fractions. For example, sulphuric acid treatment

reduced bio-oil yield three-fold in favour ofbiochars,

and ammonia treatment increase the char fraction by

nearly 40 percent; due to polymerisation ofbio-oil in

the presence of acid-base catalysis. The additives also

had a strong impact on the distribution of chemical

compounds in the bio-oil.

Following char wash, 50 percent of potassium, 80

percent of chlorine, and 35 percent of sulphur were

extracted, while only minor amounts of calcium and

silicon were removed. The wash also contains

decomposition products of cellulose suitable for

fermentation.

Economic. energetic and green considerations

The extraction using supercritical C02 has been

shown to be significantly cheaper than using hexane,

chiefly as a result of savings on expensive post-

extraction steps including solvent removal andpurification for hexane. As part of an integrated

biorefinery, C02 captured as a product of

fermentation and the processing energy from burning

other fuels may also be used for extraction.

Although the capital cost of a supercritical C02

extractor is significantly higher than hexane

extraction, the lower operating costs should result in a

shorter payback time, and the greener credentials of

the technology should encourage investment.

The microwave process is very tolerant of water

compared to conventional pyrolysis and is suitable for

most biomass types without pre-drying.

Preliminary energy balance calculations based on the

thermodynamic properties of the structural

components of wheat straw during the decomposition

process indicated a energy requirement of 1.8 kJ/g for

microwave pyrolysis compared to 2.7 kJ/g for thermal

convectional pyrolysis.

Low temperature microwave pyrolysis therefore

produces better quality oils and chars than

conventional pyrolysis at 1.5 times the energy

efficiency. The maj or difficulty with Clark's

biorefinery is in finding markets for the variousproducts. That is almost impossible without an

integrated holistic approach to developing a circular

economy around green, closed loop chemistry.

The circular economy maximises reciprocities and

cooperation aswell as synergies between the different

sectors (Sustainable Agriculture Essential for Green

Circular Economy, ISIS lecture); in the case of Clark's

biorefinery, between chemical industry and

agriculture.

But we must guard against the overuse of agricultural

biomass for industrial processes and fuel to the

detriment of food production and soil fertility

Http://www.i-sis.org.ukl


http://http//www.i-sis.org.ukl

http://http//www.i-sis.org.ukl



More than 250 Economists Call for Trade Reforms to

Allow Capital ControlsIletter delivered January 31, more than 250economists urged the Obama administration to

reform U.S. trade rules that restrict the use of

capital controls.

The statement reflects growmg consensus among

economists that capital controls, while no panacea,

are legitimate policy tools for preventing and

mitigating financial crises.

Signatories include several economists who have

been generally supportive of free trade but are criticalof the capital control restrictions (e.g., Arvind

Subramanian, Senior Fellow of the Peterson Institute

for International Economics and Nancy Birdsall,

President of the Center for Global Development), as

well as former IMF officials (e.g., Olivier Jeanne of

Johns Hopkins University) and a Nobel laureate

(Joseph Stiglitz).

The United States has trade or investment agreements

with 52 countries that restrict the use of capital

controls and allow private foreign investors the right

to sue governments that violate these restrictions.

Several additional deals are in the works, including:

U.S.-South Korea free trade agreement. Status:

pending congressional approval.

Trans-Pacific Partnership. Status: Trade

negotiators from the United States and eight other

countries will meet for a 5th round of talks in Chile on

Feb. 15.

Investment treaty with China. Status: The U.S.

government is expected to soon complete a review of

its model Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT), which

will accelerate negotiations with China, India, and

several other countries.

Presidents Obama and Hu "reaffirmed theircommitment" to these ongoing negotiations in a Jan.

19j oint statement.

Kevin Gallagher, Boston University professor and

research associate at the Global Development and

Environment Institute at Tufts University (GDAE),

and Sarah Anderson, director of the Institute for

Policy Studies Global Economy Project, initiated the

statement.

In 2009, Gallagher and Anderson examined this issueas members of the Investment Subcommittee of the

State Department's Advisory Committee on

International Economy Policy.

"It's in the U.S. interest to allow other governments

the authority to apply sensible capital controls," says

Anderson. "In a globalized world, expanding the

policy options to combat financial crisis makes sense

for U.S. businesses, workers, and the environment."

"U.S. trade treaties are inconsistent with the emergingconsensus in the economics profession and among the

international financial institutions that capital

controls are a legitimate part of the toolkit," says

Gallagher.

"The U.S. and its trading partners should have all the

possible tools available to prevent and mitigate future

financial crises."

Kevin Gallagher, Boston University and GlobalDevelopment and Environment Institute

([email protected]), Emily Schwartz Greco, Institute

for Policy Studies ([email protected]),

Sarah Anderson, Global Economy Director,

Institute for Policy Studies ([email protected])






Documents

FEBRUARY 2011 National Magazine of Farmers Voice