Our Seed, Our Sovereignty!
Februari 08, 2009
Thursday, July, 28 2008Some members have been reluctant to attend the meeting organization, "said Pak Suli, a member of the Tani Makmur peasant at the event documentary film" Our Seeds, Our Sovereignty” with staff API, IGJ and some Kibar activists in Kediri. This Film recounts the arrested peasant by the police regarding the case of corn seeds in the conflict of law against PT. Bisi Indonesia, a foreign company that produces hybrid corn seeds.
Asked the reasons why some members are reluctant to start to gather, Mr Suli only take a deep breathe, "as there are feelings of trauma and fear that if the override Pak Burhana will occur on themselves," answered. Burhana known as Pak is one of the farmer members of Farmers who had dealt with the court cases related to maize. Burhana and some farmers also entangled with the other article of Law number 12/1992 on Plant Cultivation System and plants certification with alleged illegal certification. Mr. one child is punishable by 5 months in prison.
Case seeds are then developed into important issue in the middle of a situation such as food handling at this time. In addition to keep supporting efforts to struggle through the advocacy and organizing work with the emphasis on work-productive API central also attempt to socialize the case of a network of farmers struggle in Indonesia and the parties' policy. Even the case was appointed as one of the points in the material meeting in Bonn, Germany.
In that regard, the API in cooperation with the Institute for Global Justice to produce a documentary movie entitled Our Seeds Our Sovereignty. The making of this movie is meant as one of the efforts so that cases that have hurt farmers can be accessed by many parties, so it will be important to encourage the alignment consideration of this country to the agricultural sector and the peasant as an ignored important sector.
"Peasants do not even benefit from the increase in world food prices at this time," said Lutfiyah Hanim, research advisors of API, when in a village in Bekasi Jaya Ocean. "First is the long chain of distribution between the urban consumers with producers in rural areas. So the profit on the price increase is usually from the seller and distributors, not from peasant. Second, the rice trade in the large-scale domination by a few traders, who control the distribution channels. Java, for example, which is the largest producer of rice occupied by less than five distributor / rice traders, "he added.
Meanwhile in a different time, Nuruddin, SekGen of API said, "If the peasants frightened to develop their own seed in an effort to cut dependency on the product manufacturer as was the effort to do the pattern of organic agriculture to cut dependency on chemical fertilizers is the same as prohibit state peasants to maintain a their own life that means also prohibit farmers become productive. Meanwhile, agriculture is the most potential sector. If the government gives emphasis to the press manufacturing sector regardless of the agricultural sector, not just the peasants who are economically disadvantaged, but even the country as a whole. Of a world food crisis is a sign that this sector should be more serious, and supported the government should be more proactive with the production side in the interests of peasant. If only a matter of seed peasant have to enter the prison, how they can support the production of food for our national interests also. "
The film is packed DVD is produced in a sizeable number of large, ie, 500 pieces and share good to the peasants themselves, NGOs, mass organizations and parties related. In this case we are very grateful to colleagues Kibar (Dian, David and others) that this is an intense struggle on the basis of peasant in Kediri and has a lot to provide access to information and other assistance to the making of the video.
The case also began being responded by many parties. Metro TV, for example has come to the secretariat of Tani Makmur, Kediri to make taking pictures and interviewing some of the peasants who become victims in these cases Bisi. The result was a feature of the conflict that was raised in the Oasis segment in Metro Reality ago on June 24. Here the impression synopsis titled Balada Corn Seeds are:
"Truly ironic! One farmer who has found corn seed who has founded must enter the prison because of the finding. That fate Tukirin, peasant corn who live in East Java Nganjuk. Tukirin the hereditary families of farmers and even this must be signed in prison because sued the development of a seed corn company, for allegedly impersonating formula has superior corn seeds that developed by the company.
Once out of the iron cells jail, Tukirin back farming, although still in the shadow of trauma due to the tragic fate he got with the prison entrance. Was it the portrait of world agriculture in Indonesia, where small farmers marginalized? ".
