Devlopment Alert

AID -Jharkhand (West-singhbhum chapter)

What does Globalisation mean to the common person?

 The introduction of New Economic policies and Liberalisation of trade has opened the doors for disaster. Agriculture is no exception to this.  Today the indigenous farmer stands insecure with the technological invasions of the Multi Nationals Companies (MNC’s) directly affecting their lives.  Unfortunately the policies are tuned to help the tormentor rather than rescue the indigenous farmer. 

 The jargon used in globalisation includes words such as Bio diversity, New economic policies, the GATT, Markesh Agreement, the WTO and TRIPS. However, all these terms are Greek and Latin to common people.  When understanding the terminology itself is difficult, it is hard to understand the vital issues. Leave alone the masses of illiterate population in India; even the educated are not fully familiar with the jargon and the issues behind. Thus, in such a situation the question of their involvement in the planning and decision making process is ruled out.

 In particular, decisions made upon crops seeds that Indian farmers have been using for centuries can have detrimental impact on their livelihood. The vital issues concerning a crop seed are; its reproducing capacity, its tolerance, its ability to generate and the capacity to withstand pests. These concerns are now packed into international policies and patent rights.  This could ultimately mean that the common medicinal plant growing in our backyard which we are regularly using may be patented in other countries (most probably the USA) and then they will have sole rights over its properties and usage and we will have to pay money for that.  

 It appears that developing countries are going to be the losers as our wealth of indigenous knowledge is held to ransom by developed countries for commercial purposes. Natural conservation used to be in the hands of the community. Now, with the onset of economic liberalization, the government initiatives concerning land, water and forests are designed to serve vested interests. The President of India’s remark on the 50^th anniversary of Indian Republic that the three way fast lane, Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation cannot be placed above everything and cannot be an end in itself bears special relevance.

 The fact also remains that that 90’s have seen the fastest rate of economic growth since independence, but large swathes of the country such as many states in the North and East have been untouched by the reforms.

 The Mystery of the Patent Act unfolds…

 Under the WTO one of the agreements is the Amendment of the Patent Act.  The Patent Act that previously enacted in India ensured that the monopoly is restricted and this act is not abused to the core by the vested interests for the commercial purposes. The patents act of 1970 in India provided for process patent and not product patents. So any company was free to manufacture a drug by using a different process. A strip of Zintac for instance is sold a t Rs.7.16 in India whereas in Pakistan, the US and the UK the price is equivalent to Rs.122.16, Rs.739.60 and RS.320.85 though Glaxo is the manufacturer in all the countries. But now this protection no longer stays and with the amendment of the patent act we are at greater risk. From 2005 we will not be produce any drug, which is patented elsewhere by replicating its development process.

 The consequences will be disastrous if drug prices rise especially because there is no social security system present in India and other developing countries. Surely such global policies will strike at the root by even denying them access to quality medicines…

 (Banner: If it is not for commercial exploitation of natures resources- Then why is there so much clamor for Patents?)

 Biopiracy: Patents on Traditional Crop Seeds.

 Patents have been secured for many crop varieties by multinationals. Basmati rice, Neem, Tumeric, Black Pepper, Karela (Bitter Gourd) and Brinjal (Egg  Plant) form the list that are of particular significance to Indian farmers. In all cases it seems that certain qualities of crops and plants and the process of extraction that have been known as indigenous practices are patented by multinationals.

(Banners: INDUSTIALISED COUNTRIES HOLD 97 PERCENT OF ALL PATENTS

Eighty percent of patents granted in developing countries are with residents of industrial countries

GLOBALISATION HAS WORKED FOR PROFITS  NOT PEOPLE ACCORDING TO UNDP’S HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT)

 Terminator Seeds

 Farmers traditionally store the seeds for the next crop. Billions of farmers depend upon saving seed to feed their families and maintain a livelihood. But now with the research on new seed variants the farmer will no longer be able to replicate his own seeds.

 Now extreme greed and commercialisation is leading to more devastation. 

Terminator technology means that the seeds produced by the plant will be infertile and therefore not re-germinate.  This will force the farmers to buy seed from the same company.  The effects of this technology will be devastating for farmers in the developing world.

 There is also a danger that terminator crops will affect non-terminator crops grown close by. Pollen from crops with infertile seeds can spread over a large area and would make other seeds infertile.  This could ruin the prospects and livelihoods of many people.

 Genetic engineering is resulting in seeds (albeit in conceptual stage) in which important traits can be switched on or off with the use of certain fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. The result of such research is that seeds will turn fertile only with the application of certain fertilizers or will be protected only if they are treated with particular pesticides.  If such seeds come to market the dependence of the farmer on firms that market their unique range of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides will be complete.

 A permanent solution requires the governments of the world to foreswear that they will prohibit the cynical manipulation of seed technology for commercial interests.  The attempted control over the farmers is resented.

 Colonialism Returns

 It appears that a new wave of Northern colonialism is occurring as a increasing amount of genetic material is being taken from less developed countries in order to line the pockets of western multinationals.

  Further just like selling the cheap commodities at throw away prices, the patents on the indigenous knowledge are being granted in the US.  The developing countries like India have to spend enormous amount of their time, energy and resources in fighting lengthy legal battles.  It also needs to document all the evidences of its existence since thousands of years.  It is not enough to just win the battles.  The countries should be subjected to severe strictures and should be taken to appropriate task for having granted patents without looking into the historical evidences.  Otherwise it will once again become an exercise where the rich countries will keep on issuing patents on every flimsy reason and the developing countries have to unnecessarily harness their resources to fight unwarranted battles.

 This trend is likely to continue until India develops legislation to protect the country’s natural resources and stop them from flowing out of India.  If this trend continues the livelihoods of millions of farmers in India and other developing countries will be destroyed and food security of nations will be severely damaged.