NGO's call for a stronger garmers' union

NGO's call for a stronger garmers' union

Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali

International non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have called
for a globally integrated federation of farmers to face the
threat of liberalized trade.

Executive director for the Indonesian Forum for the
Environment (Walhi) Emmy Hafild said on Thursday that it was too
risky to rely on a free regional market or global market for food
security.

Farmers were not ready to face the liberalization of trade now
manifested by the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) as well as the
World Trade Organization (WTO), Emmy said.

"That's why farmers need a major federation that can voice
their joint interests at both national and international levels,"
she said at a dialog organized by the Indonesian People's Forum
(IPF) here.

She said that AFTA was just a smaller part of the WTO trade
liberalization scheme, made by members of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as a transition before completely
implementing the WTO scheme.

Alejandro Villamar from the Mexico Action Network for Free
Trade (RMALC) added that the negative impact of trade
liberalization could be directly seen in the Mexican experience.

He said that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
between the United States and Mexico had so far spelled disaster
for the developing country.

Villamar continued that NAFTA had promised an increase in jobs
of better quality and with better pay; regulations on the rights
of workers, improved labor and environmental standards, and
enforcement of the capacity building of national institutions.

"After eight years, Mexican exports increased by an additional
US$170 million, but who did the exports? Three hundred foreign
companies, not local ones," said Villamar.

Previously, Mexico exported a lot of agricultural products.
The implementation of NAFTA has forced the country to increase
its imports, he added.

"Worst of all, we have to even import corn, a crop that we
first started in the Americas," Villamar said. About 70 percent
of the families in Mexico are facing a serious food shortage.

Economic growth cannot guarantee food security for a country
as shown in the poor countries of West Africa whose gross
domestic product is lower than South Africa's, but are more
secure in the availability of food.

Leticia Lopez Zepeda from Asociacion Nacional de Empresas
Campesina Mexico agreed that farmers are the ones who immediately
feel any negative effects of free trade.

She said that Mexican farmers previously grew and produced
food for their consumption but free trade had drastically changed
this self-sustainable pattern to an export-oriented one, she
said.

The government policy has also worsened the farmers'
condition. In the past, the government allocated about 12 percent
of its budget to help support the farmers.

"The money has been absorbed by multinational companies to
drive exports," she said.

Zepeda further said farmers must create an organization at
both national and regional levels. At the national level, the
organization could influence governments in policy-making.

At the regional level, a powerful organization is needed to
face international institutions, such as the WTO, the World Bank,
and the International Monetary Fund.

"Farmers must also create an international network. We have
entered a world that is global so it must be faced with global
action also," she said.

Villamar said that besides organizing a federation, farmers
must also be open to new ideas and sharing of information.

"Farmers should have the initiative to improve their living
conditions. They should not wait for the government to do that,"
he said.

Farmers should also demand access to information and advocacy
to understand the content of government contracts. "Let the
people decide whether they want to go through with the contract
or not," Villamar said.

Farmers, too, must have their own concept of what is to be
done and not come empty-handed to the negotiating table with the
government, he said.

"Without a clear proposal, the result will only be minimal
pressure, like a child crying out without knowing what he wants.
We are not children and we know what we want," Villamar said.

The discussion concluded that free trade -- whether at the
regional or global level -- had not shown much benefit to
families with a lower income. Instead, it has brought poverty and
more misery.