Indianfarmers

CONSORTIUM OF INDIAN FARMERS ASSOCIATIONS

("Food security first - Farmers welfare must")

Basawaraj Tambake
Presiden

P.Chengal Reddy
Secretary General

Chief Patron
Dr. K. Raghuvansh Prasad Singh,MP
Former Union Minister for Rural Development
Government of India

To,

Hon. Shri Prithvirajji Chavan

Minister for Science and Technology

Government of India.

New Delhi.

December 2, 2009,

Respected Sir,

Sub: Consortium of Indian Farmers Association (CIFA), New Delhi - 6th National Farmers Convention 2009 – Demands for advance technology for the improvement of Indian Agriculture, request for initiating necessary action.

Consortium of Indian Farmers Association (CIFA), New Delhi, conducted 6th National Farmers Conclave on 2nd and 3rd December, 2009. We the farmers and agriculture scientists across the country have met to discuss the glaring problems and the hardship we are facing because of natural calamities, costly inputs, reducing yields, and government policies. Our problems are further aggravated by the negative role being played by certain institutions to keep us deprived of recently invented technologies. We would like to draw your attention on following points:

1.	India has the largest acreage under cotton cultivation (about 10 million ha), however our yields are still lower as compared to the global productivity. This is mainly because of large acreages under rainfed area, scarcity of labour, pest infestation, and lack of mechanization. The productivity in cotton has atleast improved from 315 kg/ha to 550 kg/ha since the launch of biotechnologically derived pest resistant varieties. (BT. cotton). All cotton growing farmers in India have welcomed this decision of the Government.
	Out of the above concerns, we can atleast resolve the labour problem by biotechnologically developed weedicide resistant cotton. We have been given to understand that worldwide this technology is being used in many more crops like soybean, maize, canola besides cotton.
	Considering the fruits being enjoyed by our farmer friends in the other part of world by this technology, we demand that the same should be made available with immediate effect to us.
2.	We feel that, though our country is known for providing information technology to the whole world, the Indian farmer is being kept away with new technologies related to meteorological data.
	As we farmers are highly dependent on rainfall, we demand that meteorology information (weather forecast, rainfall forecast) should be made mandatory in all print and electronic media. And in all local languages, Through mobile, call centers. We also demand that block wise information should be forecasted and made available on a regular basis.
3.	Impetus to be given to slow moving research.
	Increased public-private partnership, reduced time in transferring technology from lab to land, need based research and involvement of progressive farmers in decision making and finalization of research projects to cater the technologies for local conditions.
4.	Time bound regulatory approvals for genetically improved crops
	Farmers will be benefited at large if the time required for regulatory process is reduced to maximum three years. The biotechnological research in crops like rice, soybean, maize, pulses and vegetables have entered the regulatory system in the country. We demand that these technologies, once found suitable, should be made available to us in the given time frame.

After the success of BT. cotton in India, the farmers are awaiting for one more biotechnologically improved crop Brinjal. BT. brinjal has been released by GEAC after thorough discussion on Expert Committee reports. Brinjal is grown on 5.5 lakh ha and require very high number of pesticide sprays (25-50) which are done biweekly. These pesticide sprays to control the fruit and shoot borer, increases the cost of cultivation to us, health losses to us, our labours and to the consumers.

The Bt technology, which has been introduced in brinjal, will not only save the crop from dreaded pest, but also reduce cultivation cost and will have a positive impact on our health.

Based on the biosafety studies conducted at various public and private premier institutes, the scientific group comprising of the experts, which are virtually the supreme authority in their respective field, have already approved Bt brinjal as safe for environmental release. So, now we demand the release of Bt brinjal for commercial cultivation with immediate effect.

We request your kindself to intervene with the concerned ministries and make sure our demands are aforesaid immediately.

Thanking you,

Yours Sincerely,

P. Chengal Reddy,
Secretary General.

Hyderabad Address :

New Delhi Address :

C/o. Flat No. # 209, Vijaya Towers, Santhi Nagar,

Hyderabad-500 028. A.P. INDIA.

Tel : 91-40-23319643, Fax : 91-40-23378046

E-mail : indian_farmers_federation@yahoo.com

8/32, South Patel Nagar,

New Delhi - 110 008.

Tel : 011-32474931, 25842111, Fax : 011-25842123

E-mail : cifa_delhi@yahoo.com