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Farmer protests in India get support of 86 US groups

More than 85 U.S. groups, including the Family Farm Action Alliance, support farmer protests going on in India.

Alliance president Joe Maxwell says the three new “pro-corporate” agriculture laws by the Indian government will lead to further exploitation and economic ruin of that nation’s farmers.

Maxwell tells Brownfield Ag News the laws would unfairly tilt supply and demand, “What’s going on in India is an example of how the pressure of these global monopolies not only extend pressure on farm prices here in the U.S. but now they’re advancing the same tactics, market tactics, onto other farmers around the country (of India).”

Gurvinder Singh, with the United Sikhs, tells Brownfield the laws aim to dismantle local markets for India’s farmers who make up 65% of the population, “We all know that when your supply is limited or when it’s artificially limited, your demand will increase. So not only will that adversely impact the farmer. It will adversely impact the consumer.”

The government’s law changes, he says, will have detrimental effects on the 40% of people living in poverty in India who are not able to afford more than one meal a day, “Not only will you significantly increase that number above the poverty line, you will significantly increase those who are starving and not even able to have that one meal a day.”

Singh’s group is providing humanitarian aid during the ongoing protests and is working with its lawyers to try and release farmer protesters who have been jailed in India.

Interview with Gurvinder Singh, below:

Interview with Joe Maxwell, below: