I Women Fight Police during the Tebhaga Movement when the slogan was “Jan Deba, Ddhan Debo na” (we will give our lives, but will not give our rice) II Contents Foreword .............................................................................................................................................................. (vi) Preface ................................................................................................................................................................ (viii) Executive Summary .............................................................................................................................................. (ix) PART - I AN OVERVIEW 1.1 AGRICULTURE SECTOR IN INDIA ............................................................................................................ 3 Characteristics of Labour Market in Agriculture ..................................................................................... 5 Status of Plantation Workers................................................................................................................... 6 Laws Governing Labour Standards in Agriculture ..................................................................................6 The Plantation Labour Act, 1951 as Amended in 1981. ........................................................................ 6 Poverty and Unemployment ................................................................................................................... 6 1.2 WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE ....................................................................................................................... 9 Women in Decision Making in Agriculture .........................................................................................15 Women in Plantation - Faulty Policy of Liberalization ........................................................................ 19 Women in Dairy Sector ....................................................................................................................... 22 Women Second in the Land Agenda ................................................................................................... 24 Right And Privileges Of Women In India ............................................................................................. 25 1.3 IMPACT OF WTO ON WOMEN .............................................................................................................. 28 Impact of Liberalization on Agricultural Workers and Women ............................................................ 30 Agreement on Sanitary and phyto-Sanitary Measures (SPS) ................................................................. 30 Technical Barrier to Trade (TBT) ........................................................................................................... 31 Special Safeguard Provisions (SSG) ...................................................................................................... 31 Impact on Agro Processing and Household Industries and Erosion of Women’s Livelihood ............................................................................................................ 32 Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad ................................................................................................. 32 ‘Bikaneri Bhujia’ Cultural and Intellectual Piracy by Pepsi?................................................................. 34 The Attack on Local Processing! The Threat to our Ghanis, Chakkis and Dhabas. ........................................................................................................................... 36 Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) .......................................................................................................... 37 Market Access ...................................................................................................................................... 38 Domestic Support ................................................................................................................................. 39 Export Subsidies.................................................................................................................................... 39 Agreement On Agriculture: A Kargil Treaty .......................................................................................... 39 III Change in Agricultural Production and Erosion of Agricultural Livelihood. ......................................... 40 Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) ................................................................................ 42 Patents on Seeds, Biopiracy, and Seed Monopolies ............................................................................. 43 Women as Seed Keepers ...................................................................................................................... 51 Biopiracy of Wheat by Monsanto ........................................................................................................ 53 Naphal means “no fruits” - No Farmers Variety Could Have Such a Name ...................................... 53 Soft Milling Wheat is Not an Invention; it is Our Daily Diet ............................................................. 55 Native Indian Wheats ........................................................................................................................... 56 Sir Albert Howard Contribution towards Indian wheat ........................................................................ 56 Cargill’s ‘Nature Fresh’ Atta Spells Doom For Chakki Fresh Milling .................................................... 56 Erosion of Women’s Control on Seed and Biodiversity ........................................................................ 57 1.4 IMPACT OF AGREEMENT ON AGRICULTURE AND TRADE LIBERALIZATION OF AGRICULTURE ON WOMEN ................................................................................ 60 (a) Change in Production Pattern ......................................................................................................... 61 Monsanto’s Maize................................................................................................................................. 61 Bt. Cotton ............................................................................................................................................. 63 Sugar Cane ........................................................................................................................................... 64 Less Nutritive Crops and Resources of Food Entitlements.................................................................... 66 Declining Food Production................................................................................................................... 67 Starvation .............................................................................................................................................. 67 Malnutrition .......................................................................................................................................... 69 Debt and Farmers Suicide .................................................................................................................... 70 (b) Change in Distribution System and Dismantling of P.D.S. ............................................................. 76 Removal of Quantitative Restrictions (QRs).......................................................................................... 77 Impact of the Removal of QRs on Agriculture and Farmer’s Livelihood ............................................. 78 Impact of Removal of Import Restrictions: Collapse of Edible Oil Sector ........................................... 80 Lowering of Price Farm Prices due to Dumping of Subsidized Produce and Fall in Income ................................................................................................................. 81 Increased Trafficking of Women ........................................................................................................... 83 Foeticide and Violence against Women ............................................................................................... 84 PART - II CASE STUDIES AND JAN SUNWAIS 2.1 KARNATAKA .............................................................................................................................................. 89 Importance of Agriculture in Karnataka ............................................................................................... 89 Coffee Plantation in Karnataka ............................................................................................................. 91 Field Study ........................................................................................................................................... 95 Influence of WTO on Coffee Plantation: .............................................................................................. 96 Planters Unaware of WTO ................................................................................................................... 98 Failure to Educate Planters ................................................................................................................... 98 Conclusion and Additional Factor ........................................................................................................ 99 IV Public Hearing in Karnataka .............................................................................................................