Members of the Peasant Movement of Papaye (MPP), part of La Via Campesina, will be denouncing this experience of resistance against the US seed company at the Americas Social Forum, to be held from August 11-15 in Asuncion, capital city of Paraguay.

One of the leaders of the MPP, Chavannes Jean-Baptiste, was in Washington a few weeks ago, and questioned Monsanto´s donations to Haiti. After the earthquake that took place in the country, Monsanto donated over 475 tons of GM seeds.

The leader talked to several representatives of USAID (the United States Agency for International Development), an organization that is financing the Winner project to give seeds to ten thousand farmers.

“Monsanto´s donations are an attack against peasant agriculture and our biodiversity (…) Monsanto is taking advantage of the earthquake to enter the Haitian seed market”, said Jean Baptiste.

And he added: “Why are biological products good in California and not in Haiti? Hybrid seeds have to be bought every year, and they destroy local seeds that have been used for over two centuries. Hybrid seeds will force farmers to depend on the agroindustry”.

Approximately twenty thousand farmers marched in Haiti to protest against Monsanto´s “poisoned gift”. Monsanto told the media that the donations were worth four million dollars.

In addition, MPP leaders warned about the lack of seeds among family producers, since most of them were used to feed refugees.

Monsanto´s executives said that the decision to donate seeds was made a few days after the earthquake at the World Economic Forum carried out in Davos, Switzerland, where the most powerful politicians and businessmen of the world meet every year.

Photo: http://mocase-vc.blogspot.com/