Friday, August 1, 2008
‘Doha Talks' fail over farm aid, India hails Nath
After nine days of talking tough at the Geneva global trade meeting that ended in collapse, chief Indian negotiator Kamal Nath returned to New Delhi on July 30 to a hero's welcome.
He was congratulated by colleagues at a Cabinet meeting for "bravely fighting the nation's battle." During an interview, his cellphone beeped constantly with text messages reading "well done," "you have made India proud" and "you held your own in Geneva."
The World Trade Organization talks collapsed on July 29 when developing nations, speaking through Nath, stood firm on safeguard measures that they said were vital to protect the lives of millions of farmers against a likely spike in food imports from rich nations.
The talks focused on farm trade, a highly politicized subject in countries the world over. American and European negotiators were offering to gradually scale back subsidies to their producers that can give a trade advantage. In return, they wanted new access for their farm goods in countries such as India.
To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
He was congratulated by colleagues at a Cabinet meeting for "bravely fighting the nation's battle." During an interview, his cellphone beeped constantly with text messages reading "well done," "you have made India proud" and "you held your own in Geneva."
The World Trade Organization talks collapsed on July 29 when developing nations, speaking through Nath, stood firm on safeguard measures that they said were vital to protect the lives of millions of farmers against a likely spike in food imports from rich nations.
The talks focused on farm trade, a highly politicized subject in countries the world over. American and European negotiators were offering to gradually scale back subsidies to their producers that can give a trade advantage. In return, they wanted new access for their farm goods in countries such as India.
To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
Labels: American negtiators, chief Indian negotiator Kamal Nath, colleagues, Doha Talk, European negotiators, farm goods, farm trade, farmers, Geneva, globalization, india, New Delhi, proud, WTO
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Moneylenders are main recourse for Indian farmers to escape cycle of debt
Almost every farmer across India's arid cotton-bearing central plateau is a hostage, in one way or another, to a profitable mega-business of illegal money lending.
Families have lost land, farmers have been asked to prostitute their wives to pay off debts and, when all else has failed, borrowers have killed themselves to end their misery.
An inescapable cycle of debt is fuelling one of the worst agrarian crises facing India, a crisis that has seen some 150,000 farmers commit suicide since 1997.
Yet the public image of menacing debt collectors does not entirely reflect the views of the region's three million farmers. The rapacious moneylender, who plugs the gaps in rural financial services, is also the man they can turn to in times of need.
Last month, the government announced a $15-billion loan waiver for small farmers borrowing from banks, but experts say the efficacy of the scheme is badly diluted because it leaves out those borrowing from moneylenders.
"Moneylenders are now an inextricable part of the rural economy," said S. Parasuraman of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. "So much so the bank has become secondary, or even redundant, for a small farmer.
To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
Families have lost land, farmers have been asked to prostitute their wives to pay off debts and, when all else has failed, borrowers have killed themselves to end their misery.
An inescapable cycle of debt is fuelling one of the worst agrarian crises facing India, a crisis that has seen some 150,000 farmers commit suicide since 1997.
Yet the public image of menacing debt collectors does not entirely reflect the views of the region's three million farmers. The rapacious moneylender, who plugs the gaps in rural financial services, is also the man they can turn to in times of need.
Last month, the government announced a $15-billion loan waiver for small farmers borrowing from banks, but experts say the efficacy of the scheme is badly diluted because it leaves out those borrowing from moneylenders.
"Moneylenders are now an inextricable part of the rural economy," said S. Parasuraman of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. "So much so the bank has become secondary, or even redundant, for a small farmer.
To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
Labels: crises facing India, farmers commit suicide, globalization, high-cost seeds and pesticides, illegal money lending, Indian farmers, Moneylenders
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