Abolition of IRRI sought

IRRI has done lot harm to the traditional, local rice varieties in many part of the world, specifically in Asia. Some farmer's movements in Asia have come forward to fight against the IRRI's actions of promotion of biotechnological rice seeds and also the chemicals in the farming fields. The group has formed call YORA [Year Of Rice Action] to preserve traditional rice varieties and to protect the bio diversity.
It is important to see the struggle is extended against the multi national seed cooperations, fertilizer cooperations and also the other chemical cooporations.

We were also part of the YORA campaign which was initiated at the PANAP conference held at PENANG Malaysia last year. I would like to see how the Sri Lankan organizations, lead by VIKALPANIE and MONLAR work together on this process.

Herman Kumara,
13 04.10


By Abigail Kwok

Filed Under: Agriculture, Science & Technology, Health, Environmental Issues

MANILA, Philippines – An international group has called for the abolition of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) 50 years after its creation, saying the agency threatened the biodiversity and indigenous rice varieties.

Citing IRRI’s campaign for genetically-engineered rice, the group, identified as Year of Rice Action (YORA), said that IRRI also allegedly exposed farmers to the dangers of agro-chemicals.

YORA, headed by the militant peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP, Peasant Movement of the Philippines), is an international campaign organization composed of the Philippines, Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Nepal, Laos PDR, Cambodia, Thailand, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

The group, in a statement, vowed to protect traditional and indigenous varieties of rice against genetically-engineered ones such as Monsanto, Syngenta, Bayer, Dow AgroSciences, and BASF.

"IRRI had enough existence and opportunities of exploiting farmers globally. It should be abolished immediately if we want to save bio-diversity of rice varieties and preserve the lives and health of farmers who have been exposed to deadly agro-chemicals it promotes," said Wilfredo Marbella, Deputy Secretary-General of KMP.

"All IRRI invented were the chain and shackles put to farmers, forcing them to use expensive and fatal agro-chemicals so that agro-chem TNCs could rake up super-profits," he added.

For his part, Erpan Faryadi, vice-chairman for Internal Affairs of APC and AGRA secretary general from Indonesia, said that IRRI should be held liable for the “significant extinction of traditional rice varieties.”

“While environmentalists are staking their lives to protect the environment and bio-diversity, IRRI, with all its multi-billion dollar funds, power and influence are consciously wiping-out natural genus of rice native to different countries. This is a ferocious crime against mother earth and against the future of mankind," he said.

URL: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20100413-264037/Abolition-of-IRRI-sought