El Salvadoran Farmers Successfully Oppose the Use of Monsanto Seeds
El Salvadoran Farmers Successfully Oppose the Use of Monsanto Seeds
Tuesday, 08 July 2014 09:04
By Dahr Jamail, Truthout | Report
Farmers across El Salvador united to block a stipulation in a US aid package to their country that would have indirectly required the purchase of Monsanto genetically modified (GM) seeds.
Thousands of farmers, like 45-year-old farmer Juan Joaquin Luna Vides, prefer to source their seeds locally, and not to use Monsanto's GM seeds.
"Transnational companies have been known to provide expired seeds that they werent able to distribute elsewhere," said Vides, who heads the Diversified Production program at the Mangrove Association, a community development organization that works in the Bajo Lempa region of El Salvador.
"We would like the US embassy and the misinformed media outlets that are pressuring the Salvadoran government to change their procurement procedure to know more about the reality of national producers and recognize the food sovereignty of the country," he added.
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http://truth-out.org/news/item/24811-el-salvadoran-farmers-successfully-oppose-the-use-of-monsanto-seeds