1.Farmers launch massive agitation against new patent law
2.Farmers oppose patent ordinance
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1.Farmers launch massive agitation against new patent law [India News]
Web India, updated 2 Feb 2003
http://www.webindia123.com/news/m_details.asp?newscode=91263&catcode=ENG3&subcatcode=

New Delhi, Feb 1 Several agitating farmers' organisations and trade unions today announced February 26 as a day of countrywide agitation with a march to parliament followed by a "Beej Satyagraha" to oppose the new 'anti-people' patent law.

Flaying the new law which came into effect from January 1, Dr Vandana Shiva, the Director of Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology said, ''it sneaked in through an ordinance dated December 26 last year and it totally introduces seed totalitarianism at the hands of the big multinationals.

"It jeopardises every farmer of this country who has for centuries used a part of his crop as seed and exchanged it as the new law does not differentiate that seed with a genetically modified one. In other words, the farmer will have no right to sow his own seed on his own land as some trait of his seed could be a patented one for which he can be sued," she said.

Announcing the decision to launch a "Beej Satyagraha" on Baisakhi day, the harvest festival, which falls on April 13, Ms Shiva said, "how can they talk of a re-enactment of the Dandi march in Sabarmati and in the same breadth take away from the farmer his right to his own seed."

Talking of the other aspects she said, "there are no clear definitions on several issues in the ordinance. The pharma and the software industry are the two other areas which will be badly hit which is why we will fight it tooth and nail. If we cannot prevent the parliament passing the bill which will be introduced this budget session we will openly defy it."

Speaking to the press Mr B K Keayla, Convener National Working Group on Patent Laws, said, "There were no expert consultations or discussions done and several of the earlier recommendations have in fact been done away with. The Mashelkar Committee report which had said that patenting should to applicable only to new molecules has been done away with the scope of patentability being too wide." [India News]
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2.Farmers oppose patent ordinance
OUR ECONOMY BUREAU
Financial Express, January 10, 2005
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=79377

NEW DELHI, JAN 10:Farmers' bodies have decided to oppose the recent ordinance which seeks to introduce patent monopolies on seeds. The agitation will be launched on January 30.

They have decided to oppose the proposed amendments to the Seeds Act, government policies leading to privatisation of the water sector and market monopolies likely to be created by attempts to modify the structure of regulated markets for agri produces, Food Corporation of India and the public distribution system.

As an alternative, the farmers’ bodies have decided draft a new agriculture policy and submit it the government after the conclusion of the proposed two-day deliberations on March 2.

Farmers' organisations from Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Orissa, Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra converged in the capital on Monday and resolved to launch their countrywide agitation.

The farmers' conclave was organised by Bija Vidyapeeth and was addressed by eminent speakers like former Indian ambassador to GATT SP Shukla, Prof Utsav Patnaik of Jawaharlal Nehru University, former chairman of ST & SC Commission, BD Sharma, Dinesh Abrol of All India People Science Network, Supreme Court advocate Prasant Bhushan, convenor of the National Working Group on Patent Laws, BK Keayla and Navdanya’s founder director, Dr Vandana Shiva.

Briefing mediapersons at the conclusion of the farmers’ conclave, Dr Shiva said: "The Patent Ordinance has proposed patent monopolies on seeds, genes and markers. This will lead to farmers' paying royalties to seed companies. Further, the proposed amendments to the Seeds Act, like compulsory registration, will prevent farmers from using farm-saved seeds. We have decided to oppose all these measures and boycott multinational companies producing agro-chemicals and seeds, including the genetically modified ones." Regarding agitation against the proposed water sector reforms, she said the focal areas will be Bundelkhand and Doab.

Bundelkhand is threatened by the Ken-Betwa river link financed by the World Bank and MP Water Sector Reform Project. The fertile plains of Doab are threatened by diversion of Ganga water to Delhi. The agitation against water sector reforms will begin on February 14. On that day, farmers will also serve notices of non-cooperation to the government, she said.

Ram Kalspurkar of Vidharbha Organic Farmers' Association alleged that sterile seeds sold by companies have led to suicides by farmers. He also complained about proliferation of a virus called CaMV which has damaged the crops.