How NGO's are working against India

How Kerala NGO's are canvassing at COP5 to vote against India in the issue relating to endosulfan. The following e-mail was circulated to COP5 members with press clippings and reports of Indian media showing a fasting Kerala Chief Minister. Are NGO's views beyond a Nation's Views? Is Achuthanandan's publicity justified? 

QUOTE

"Dear friend,

Greeting from Kerala!

While am writing this the chief minister on behalf of the state of Kerala
had lead protest today at various places in the state and the day was marked
as Anti-Endosulfan day (25 April 2011). When thousands of People are
protesting in the small state of Kerala in India against Endosulfan, I feel
this news should also reach people far and wide.
The attachments are news from one of the leading English daily ' The Hindu'
over the past few days about the happening in the state inspite of the
campaign against Endosulfan hasn't yielded any result for a national
decision to ban Endosulfan  has fall in the deaf years of people who are
responsible to ban this in our country.

How can we remain silent when this deadly chemical has end the life of
hundreds and have made life impossible for many more in Kasargod, North
Kerala. Let us do what ever possible to ban this deadly chemical when the
issue comes up for review by the committee of parties of Stockholm
convention happening right now by raising our voice.

Delegates from India would take a pro- endosulfan stand fore sure , so
please forward this to as many as possible and to anyone you may know would
be participating in the Stockholm convention presently, to let them know
that these are the voices from the place where it is worst hit by this
deadly posion.

In solidarity with the victims of Endosulfan from Kasargod District, Kerala
Deepak Dayanandan Kerala India"

Does it suit them to indulge in such activities? Sitting their with foreigners and opposing your own country?

Decide for yourself!

endosulfan and media inaccuracy in reporting

Press Trust of India (PTI) has filed a story today titled “No objection to Karnataka endosulfan ban: Pawar” which is widely covered across websites and heatedly debated on twitter. The headline of the story seems to suggest that Union Agriculture Minster Mr. Sharad Pawar has condoned the embargo on usage of endosulfan in the state announced by the Government of Karnataka on February 17 2011. [Deccan Chronicle story]

For a student of media, this is a classic example of how ‘the pen is mightier than the sword‘when it comes to shaping public perception.

In the PTI story, the journalist mentions that

The Karnataka cabinet last week decided to ban use of endosulfan for a period of six months.

The fact is revealed in the statement by a member of Karnataka Government Cabinet –

 “It is a temporary ban for 60 days. Of course, we have appealed to the Centre for a permanent ban as early as possible,” minister for higher education V.S. Acharya said here on Thursday.

How “60 days temporary ban” becomes “ban use for six months” is a shocking display of misinformed reporting on behalf of PTI.

Further on, if you read the statements made by Mr. Sharad Pawar in the budget parliamentary session replying to supplementary questions, they are largely in favor of usage of endosulfan.

“..farmers in a number of states have said they have no problem in using endosulfan as it was giving good results.

Pawar said the government had set up four expert committees since 1991 and each one of them had recommended continued use of endosulfan.

To a question on ban in several countries on use of endosulfan, Pawar said the pesticide was being used in at least 40 countries, including Brazil, Australia and China.

The story does mention that Pawar said farmers have been advised against spraying of endosulfan on crops, particularly cashew-nut plantations. This is very strategically given as a concluding statement. But if you read the first half of the story –

However, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar attributed the disastrous consequences of the pesticide to aerial spraying of endosulfan which was against the guidelines.

So, ‘aerial spraying’ firstly, was not a standard operating procedure as a part of the guideline on endosulfan usage. Secondly, there is no conclusive scientific evidence to prove that the alleged victims in Kerala, Kasargod or Dakshin Karnataka are due to endosulfan usage, as admitted by Union Minister of Environment Mr. Jairam Ramesh in November 2010 -  [DNA: Ban on Endosulfan will have national implications: Jairam Ramesh - Story link]

Ramesh said that he has sought a proper epidemiological study and has asked the ministry for the cause of the death in the district. "We will look into all factors," he said.

This reeks of a concerted activity to misguide people, a misrepresentation of facts by the media or a genuine error by the journalist or desk editor at PTI.

Note: The Karnataka embargo on usage of endosulfan in the state is being appealed in the High Court by manufacturers of the product [Link]

EU, Endosulfan and Stockholm Convention

European Union calls for ban on endosulfan, solely on the basis on trade interests rather
than scientific truth, citing health hazards.
Those sneaky imperialists

Today, at a press briefing in Chennai, Pesticide Manufacturers and Formulators Association of India (PFMAI) alleged that European Union (EU), the lead proponent for calling a blanket ban on the supposedly harmful endosulfan pesticide which is blamed for health effects or 'endosulfan poisoning' in Karsargod, Kerala is actually driven by trade interests!

Firstly, this claim coming from a manufacturers association seems to be a little difficult to digest at the first go. But what surprises us the most that the most 'elementary truth' has to be 'spelled out' for everyone, including the media.

Hasn't EU been doing this for ages! If you look at the facts, European Union (EU) is the largest stakeholder in the global pesticide. Also, EU's posturing and arm-twisting policies against the manufacturing of 'generic' drugs, the back bone of India Pharmaceutical Industry, is well documented.

So it does not surprise us that EU will go to any length to protect their precious money churning patented pesticides by calling for a worldwide ban on endosulfan at the most sacrosanct of global gatherings, the Stockholm Covention.

There is a move to label endosulfan as a Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP) chemical at the Stockholm Convention. And guess what, if endosulfan is banned the farmer in India may be left with no choice but to purchase replacement products which are 10 times more costlier, not proven to be a safe alternative to endosulfan and are patented by private European manufacturers.

If tomorrow European Union decides that it does not wish to manufacture or export the 'replacement pesticide' to India, what is the Indian farmer going to do? EU has managed to sabotage it's own food security by extreme protectionism, is India to suffer the same fate? How do the organic farming proponents plan to feed a billion Indian mouths without endosulfan? Does the common man have to suffer as commodity prices sky rocket to astronomical prices? Does the Indian farmer in Vidarbha, Maharashtra & Andhra Pradesh suffer the same "suicidal' fate that the current local agricultural economy has failed to curb?    

The funniest part is, European Union (EU) is not even a heavy user of endosulfan, as the insecticide is most efficient in temperate climate zones such as India, Brazil, Argentina (Latin America), Africa, China, South Asian countries and so on, where incidentally endosulfan has been used for decades and is still not banned due to its efficacy being soft on pollinators like honey bees.

A skeptical eye may be able to see clearly through the lies propagated by vested interests and read through the underlying economic imperialist agenda. We all, citizens of India, have been hoodwinked by distorted reality and misinformation campaign undertaken to deprive the Indian farmer his right to livelihood, liberty, justice and freedom of choice.

For our previous post on Media Lies and Victims of Endosulfan read  European Union's agenda read:
Endosulfan poisoning victims: Different numbers, similar lies?

HIL workers at Kerala Endosulfan plant seek probe into NIOH study: Kochi, Kerala

HIL Endosulfan Workers Rally in Kochi, Kerala (representation)

Kochi, Kerala December 17, 2010:

Endosulfan was manufactured and used for more than 50 years across the world and continues to be in use in many countries without any ill effects to humans or environment. Endosulfan has proved to be harmless to beneficial insects and pollinating agents such as honey bees etc. It is among the top five insecticides in the world. In relation to Endosulfan's use inside India the workers argued that Endosulfan would have shown its harmful effects elsewhere in India as it is extensively used across the country on crops such as cotton, sugarcane, spices, vegetables, fruits, etc. Millions of Indian farmers have been using Endosulfan for over 35 years and continue to use it as it has been cost effective and safe.

Speaking during the dharna, one of the workers' representatives pointed out that Kerala had stopped use of Endosulfan in 2002 and it is strange that the harmful effects were brought to light only recently. Endosulfan was sprayed across 10000 acres of Cashew crops throughout Kerala, prior to the ban - had Endosulfan been the cause of physical problems inside Kasargod, the Kerala state should have witnessed similar cases elsewhere as well.

The workers' representatives added that studies conducted by Kerala Sasthra Sahitya Parishad, Achuthan Commission, Kerala Agriculture University, IMA, Dubey Committee have concluded of no linkage between use of Endosulfan and the reports of health problems to the use of Endosulfan on the health problems reported at the Kasargod district of Kerala. All these studies have been conducted as recently as in the last eight years. It is their demand that, rather than ensuing a new study on the pesticide Endosulfan, it will be relevant to seek an independent investigation into the flaws observed in the study which was released by the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH).

The NIOH study was adopted by NGOs for propaganda against the generic pesticide Endosulfan since year 2002. To prove this point, the workers demanded that their blood samples be tested to validate against the published findings in NIOH report. The workers also made observations that the campaign against Endosulfan led by environmental NGOs like Thanal is suspect on their motives in the backdrop of studies conducted by other bodies. Based on unscientific approach, the demands made by local NGOs should not be taken into account for considering such a serious decision affecting our country's agriculture and food security.

There are over 6000 workers employed in the manufacturing of Endosulfan in various plants of India and 400 of these workers are employed in the HIL plant.

H/T Business Standard Story [Link]