The declaration included 11 point resolutions to restore the “food self-sufficient status of Manipur and the dignity of the farmers”.
TFM Desk
Loumi Sinmi Apun Lup (LOUSAL), Human Rights Law Network (HRLN), and Human Rights Alert (HRA) on Sunday jointly submitted a representation titled “Manipur Farmers’ Declaration” to various political parties. The declaration included 11 point resolutions to restore the “food self-sufficient status of Manipur and the dignity of the farmers”.
Farmers hailing from all the districts of Manipur, gathered at the Conference Hall of Diocesan Social Service Society, Mantripukhri, Manipur, on Saturday, and deliberated on the issues and challenges faced by the farmers of Manipur with inputs from local and outside experts.
The gathering made a clarion call to restore the food self-sufficient status of Manipur and the dignity of the farmers. And to this end the gathering unanimously resolve as follows:
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A holistic Agricultural Policy for the state of Manipur should be formulated through an inclusive process.
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A strong farmers’ union for the whole of Manipur should be established to highlight the issues and concerns of the farmers.
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The PDS suffered from various limitations in providing food security to the people as vested interest gains out of the system rather than the beneficiaries.
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Government should buy the agricultural and horticultural products of the farmer by ensuring a Minimum Procurement Price and distribute it through the existing Targeted Public Distribution System.
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Distribution of seed and bio fertilizer should be done equitably and transparently.
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The existing river lift irrigation and Loktak lift irrigation system should be made fully functional and new initiatives should be taken up with a special focus in the hill areas to harvest and retain rainwater.
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Multiple and diverse cropping should be encouraged, mono-cropping and excessive use of pesticide and insecticide should be checked effectively.
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Liberal credit facilities should be provided to small and marginalized farmers and there should be regulations to curve on exploitative money lending practices.
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Concerted efforts should be made to assure a stable market of the agricultural and horticultural products.
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Training in modern forms of agricultural practices, food processes and marketing should be expedited.
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Learning from the negative impact of the Palm oil tree plantation, elsewhere, the farmers of Manipur will resist this plan, tooth and nail.
The declaration also recalled that until the recent past the farmers of Manipur sustained a food surplus economy and even exported rice produced in the fertile alluvial land fondly called the Sana Leibak;
“Having missed the green revolution that swept across various parts of india, the farmers of Manipur continue to suffer/reel under the hegemonic structures of internal-colonization which not only impoverished and stripped away the honour and dignity of the farmers, but also made Manipur a food dependent state,” the declaration stated.
The representation also mentioned the unlimited potential that nature has endowed the region — with rich biodiversity, fertile soil, abundant rainfall — on the one hand and the ground swell of hardworking, educated, innovative young work-force who are already skilled and equipped with the indigenous knowledge of the land both in the forested hills and the wetlands of the valley.