Since 22.06.10 2175 people have participated in this protest action.
Haitian peasants march against Monsanto on 4th Juny
The earthquake which devastated Haiti killed more than 300,000 people, injured 500,000 and made more than 1 million homeless. Haiti’s vulnerability to natural disasters has several causes. The colonial and post colonial countries present in Haiti – especially Spain, France, the United States –, the financial institutions, the international corporations and the national political and economic powers are responsible for this situation.
As to the American firm Monsanto, it is the world’s largest seed producer…producer of genetically modified and hybrid seeds. This year, Monsanto’s profit dropped by 19% compared to last year at the same time. The drop is due to a decrease the sales of herbicides and chemicals. As Monsanto cannot raise its prices, it has to find new consumer markets. Monsanto’s presence in Haiti is possible thanks to international agencies and the American embassy, WINNER and USAID. Its mission is “furthering America‘s foreign policy interests in expanding democracy and free markets while improving the lives of the citizens of the developing world.”
Monsanto has already started to distribute its seeds in the areas around Gonaive, Kenscoff, Pétion-Ville, Cabaré, Arcahaie, Croix-des-Bouquets y Mirebalais. They forgot to say that these GM or hybrid corn seeds will not reach the promised levels of productivity and will not adapt to the Haitian tropical climate unless they are treated with herbicides, fertilizers and specific chemicals which not by sheer chance are produced by Monsanto itself.
Moreover, the specificity of Monsanto’s hybrid seeds is that only the first generation (the first seed, which is sold) can be sown. If the farmers want to go on producing at the next sowing season they will have to buy new Monsanto seeds. This type of seeds marks the end of the farmers’ independence. In this context, the peasant organisations call this “donation” “a very hard attack on peasant agriculture, peasant organisations, biodiversity, Creole seeds, and against the Haitian environment we are protecting.
That is why this is a new earthquake, even more dangerous than the one that hit Haiti on January 12th. According to the farmers, the Haitian government is taking advantage of the earthquake to “sell or give away the country to imperial forces whose main instruments are the multinationals”. The scandal has been so great that the Minister of Agriculture himself has been forced to admit that “Haiti does not have the ability to manage GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms)”. He also admitted that while there is no law regulating the use of GMOs in Haiti, the introduction of ‘Roundup Ready’ seeds or any other variety of Genetically modified seeds cannot be accepted.
The Haitian peasant organisations organised a large demonstration on June 4th in which thousands of farmers took part. Their aim was to “struggle against Monsanto and its accomplices in Haiti” and to show once more their desire to protect the environment in Haiti and the world. Accompanied by drums and wind instruments such as the bamboo, the demonstrators marched wearing hats where you could read “Down with Monsanto”, “Down with Preval” and red shirts demanding food sovereignty. In order to symbolically reject the Monsanto donation, which they called “poisonous and fatal, they burnt a part of the corn the multinational had given, and they distributed Creole corn seeds and various types of beans.
The organisations call for the help of people and organisations from the whole world for them to continue to help them support their claims. Write to the Haitian authorities to show your support to the Haitian peasant organisations! Monsanto will receive a copy of the letter. If you wish to, you can not only sign but also copy and paste the letter in an email to the Haitian embassy of your country.
