A brief report of the Strategy meeting on WTO and Agriculture held on 23rd September 2005 in the Press Club in Mumbai 

The one-day strategy meeting on Maharastra Agriculture and WTO was held on 23rd September 2005 at the Mumbai Press Club and representatives of the political parties, farmers unions, trade unions, ngos and academia attended this meeting. The meeting was chaired by Shri Com. BK Kango.

The objective of this meeting was to address the critical issues in Agriculture in Maharastra, update on the current status of negotiations in WTO and chalk out a strategy for a campaign and action at the state level before the WTO Ministerial in Hong Kong.

At the beginning of the meeting an overview on the national agriculture scenario as well as the current state of play in the WTO was presented. This was followed by the round of introduction and the discussion on the set agenda.

The participants realised the need for a focused follow up on the agriculture issues in the state and creating awareness at the grassroot level on the burning issues in agriculture. It was also realised to integrate the local agriculture problems with the national and international issues. Unless we would first address the local issues, it would be difficult to mobilise the small and marginal farmers and local communities on the issue of WTO. At the meeting, a proposal was made to revive the anti globalisation group in the state. It was decided that Shri Gajanan Khatu should contact Shri N.D. Patil so that we all can work with the Anti WTO and Anti Globalisation Committee and revive the movement together. It was also proposed to broaden its scope with the inclusion of other important issues e.g. land reforms, labour issues, unorganised sectors, PDS and food security etc.

The meeting came out with the following decision.

1. Representation of the Maharastra group to the Union WTO Committee headed by Mr. Pranab Mukherjee before the Hong Kong Ministerial and put pressure on them not to compromise on agriculture issues in Hong Kong.

2. Follow up Meeting on Agriculture and WTO in Pune on 23rd October

3. It was decided to revive the Anti WTO and Anti Globalisation Committee at the Pune meeting

4. A joint letter to be sent to the Prime Minister (drafted by Shri Suresh Gawali, Shri Gajanan Khatu and Afsar Jafri) and copy of the same to be sent to the Commerce Minister and the member of the Union WTO Committee before the General Council meeting in Geneva scheduled to start on 16th October, with the following demands: 

a. The government should issue a White Paper on India’s current position on AoA and NAMA

b. There should not be any movement in negotiation on AoA unless EU and US bring down their subsidies and stop Box Shifting and completely phase out export subsidies

c. The government must not give up agriculture for some concessions in other areas e.g. NAMA And GATS
 
d. Government immediately reinstate Quantitative Restrictions (QRs) to check the surge in imports

e. Don’t ever bind the agriculture tariff at the current applied rates.

f. India should not sabotage the interest of the farmers in the G20 and other developing countries and come out of the Five Interested Parties (FIPs) 

g. Indian government demand for the fisheries sector to be taken out of the NAMA negotiations and out of the WTO
 
5. Preparation of literature in Marathi on Agriculture and WTO and its dissemination 

The participants at the meeting include: 

Dr. B. K. Kango, CPI 
Mr. Gajanan Khatu, People’s Political Front
Mr. Balkrishna Renake, SDRI 
Mr. P.R. Krishnan, CITU, Maharastra
Mr. Suresh Gawali, Lal Nishan Party
Mr. Subhash Ware, Rashtra Seva Dal
Mr. Sukla Sen, People’s Media Initiative, Mumbai
Mr. N.D. Kohli, National Fishworkers Forum
Mr. Pravin More, NCDHR-Maharashtra, Vikas Sahyog Prathisthan
Mr. Lalit Babar, JJPLA
Prof. H. M. Desarda 
Mr. Joe Athialy, INITIATIVE
Com. Sudam Jaohar, Kisan Sabha Maharashtra
Mr. Altaf Latif Jikre, AFARM
Mr. Mohan Surve, Vikas Sahyog PRathisthan
Mr. Sanjay Sangvai, NAPM / NBA
Mr. Jatin Desai, PIPFPD
Mr. Sanjay Phalke, Rashtra Seva Dal
Mr. Uday Bhat, Lal Nishan Party
Mr. Anant Kale, Reporter, Daily Sakal Agrowork, Pune
Mr. Nitin Mate, YUVA, Nagpur
Mr. Sanjeewani Jain, Lok Raj Sangathan
Ms. Minu, ICHRL
Ms. Meena Menon/ Afsar Jafri/ Benny Kuruvilla, Focus on the Global South, India