February 09, 2006, The Meghalya Guardian
Shillong
GUARDIAN NEWS BUREAU
Though the farmers form a large proportion of the population but they are the most neglected section, said principal conservator of forest V.K. Nautiyal.
Inaugurating a day-long workshop on ‘farmers’ rights: benefit sharing and prior informed consent’ held at the guest house, NEHU conference hall, Nautiyal said that it is pity to say that farmers especially in the mountain region are subsistence farmers where crop is essential for day-to-day life and they have to depend their livelihood on agriculture.
The problem that the farmers from the mountain region like the North-east are facing is that they have to face difficulties like insecticides and also have to depend on climatic condition to improve their agriculture products.
Highlighting several issues that WTO agreements will affect the condition of farmers in the mountain region, he said that eradication of certain subsidies penetrated by the developed countries in the WTO, protection of farmers and property rights and access to the market are the main issues needed to dealt with as developing countries have got less access market comparing to developed countries in the WTO
Most of the farmers are illiterate and the stakeholders need to play an important role in disseminating on the issue of WTO where protection of the farmers’ rights is the foremost matter, but the government should think the future of the farmers for dealing with the WTO issues.
The workshop organized by Consumer Unity and Trust Society Calcutta Resource Centre in collaboration with Centre for Environmental Studies North Eastern Hill University and was attended by NGOs and professors of NEHU from geography department and other departments.