National Farmers Union
Media release; 23 November 2000
The National Farmers Union has warned Indian tenant farmers that there is no
long term future for them in farming and that they should get out of all forms
of agricultural pursuits.
"Unless they can get long term security on leased land, they should
definitely get out of agricultural pursuits of all kind," said elected
Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry.
Mr Chaudhry's warning comes in reaction to the scrapping of the $28,000
rehabilitation grant to displaced farmers in the interim regime's Wednesday
budget. The budget allocates a mere $10,000 in the way of farm input to outgoing
and incoming farmers, applicable only when ALTA is replaced by NLTA.
"They are merely hoodwinking the farmers because effectively
neither landowners nor evicted tenants will get anything ," Mr Chaudhry
said.
"ALTA is an entrenched legislation. The Qarase regime, which has been
declared illegal and unconstitutional by the High Court, has no authority to
touch any legislation, let alone ALTA as an entrenched legislation,"
he said.
The $28,000 rehabilitation grant provided by the People's Coalition Government
would have given evicted farming families a viable alternative to farming. The
scrapping of this grant leaves thousands of farming
families landless and destitute overnight.
"Evicted families are being forced out on the streets with nowhere to go
and no source of income,'' Mr Chaudhry said.
He referred to today's (23/11/00) Daily Post report on P5 of 126 families in
Namada, Ba forced to dismantle their homes on expiry of their leases with no
where to go.
"What we are seeing is just the tip of the iceberg. In the next few months
we are going to witness a tragedy of immense human proportions as thousands of
people become landless and homeless," Mr Chaudhry warned.
The interim regime has made no move to cater for this human catastrophe. The
allocation of $3.4 million for purchase of land is of no use without long term
security for farmers. There is no future for Indian farmers in agriculture
because it offers them no security.
The National Farmers Union is helping evicted families find a home with the
setting up of a refuge colony for displaced farmers in Dreketi, Labasa. Similar
colonies will soon be set up in the western division.
Mr Chaudhry is also taking the plight of the now-abandoned Indian farmers to the
international fora. He has already raised the issue with the United Nations and
Commonwealth secretary generals in discussions with them.
"We will be pursuing this further and seeking international assistance to
rehabilitate evicted farmers," he said.
