RP farmers dump rotten eggplants

RP farmers dump rotten eggplants

MANILA (Reuter): Angry farmers dumped sacks of rotten corn, bananas and eggplants outside the Philippine Senate yesterday, demanding the assembly reject the GATT world trade accord.

"This is what will happen to us. All our produce will rot if the treaty is ratified," a rally leader shouted as he and dozens of other protesters emptied the sacks onto the Senate driveway.

President Fidel Ramos is pushing for ratification of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade treaty, saying it will boost the export trade.

Many farm groups say the accord will kill them because it will swamp the domestic market with a flood of cheaper imported farm products.

The protesters shoved the rotten produce back into sacks before they dispersed to avoid being charged with littering.