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LCHR to the Minister of Agriculture Where are the one million acres that the farmers have received in Egypt?
In the series of the political propaganda for the Egyptian governmental corporations for the induction of the President, lately, the ministry of agriculture has participated in this induction by holding a conference entitled “the farmers of the agrarian reform offer induction for the Mubarak” several ministries have done the same, such as: the ministry of education and the ministry of irrigation, in addition to the head of the public union for Egypt’s worker, all of them adjure the President to nominate himself for the fifth time for the presidency of the republic, and instead of encouraging the people’s participation in the changing process, these inductions come to frustrate citizens and increase driving them away from participation.
Confirming that, is what the minister of agriculture has stated lately in a conference that was published about in Al Masaa’a newspaper in 2/6/2005, by using farmers in the induction and giving false data, as he has stated the development of the countryside and the farmers happiness with Mubara’s ruling, he has declared that the farmers have owned more than one million acres of the agrarian reform lands in Mubarak’s reign.
The unfortunate thing, is that in Mubarak’s reign, more than one million farmers were evicted out of their lands because of implementing law no. 96 and according to the statements of the ministry of agriculture, only 12 thousand of them have received such lands, thousands of farmers were imprisoned because of the bank debts, and and hundreds were killed because of defending their lands between 1997 and 2005.
The LCHR confirm that although farmers deserve to receive alternative lands according to law no. 96 for the year 1992 in case they are evicted out of their rented lands, but the ministry didn’t apply the law, and nothing proves that more than what the LCHR has done, as it has presented demands for 342 farmers who deserve receiving alternative lands according to the law, and after delivering their files to the ministry, the officials refused to give them alternative lands unless they present these files first to the ministry desk in El Noubareya city, the farmers along with the LCHR lawyers went there, the officials there confirmed to us that they don’t apply to the conditions of giving alternative lands, the LCHR would like to seize this chance to demand the minister and the employees of the ministry and in the reign of President Mubarak to give the farmers from the different villages in all provinces alternative lands especially to those who have previously presented demands to the ministry in 10/5/2005, and they are 149 farmers from El Hureya village – Dakrance station – Daqahleya, and 193 farmers from Kom El Berka village – Kafr El Dawar station – El Behira. The LCHR wonders, can the ministry of agriculture in Egypt in respect of its’ role in protecting farmers rights along with our agrarian wealth and resources give these farmers alternative lands, as they deserve it according to the rule of the law? Instead of the acclamation, cheering, falseness and misleading of giving one million farmers agrarian lands in the inductions that neglect the deteriorated conditions of farmers and agriculture and refuse to change and reform.
The ministry of agriculture refuses to implement the judiciary decisions, the LCHR has filed a lawsuit no. 1239/3 judicial to Ms. Raweya Abdel Maqsoud and others before the administrational judiciary court demanding the ministry to give them alternative lands, a decision was issued for the benefit of these farmers, but the ministry of agriculture has made an appeal at the supreme administrational court no. 21826/51 judicial, to disable the process of handing farmers alternative lands.
The LCHR demands the minister to work on achieving the development of the countryside and guarantee farmers rights in safe land possession by making the necessary procedures to protect farmers rights along with our agrarian resources:
- Give the one million aggrieved farmers because of implementing the 1996 law alternative lands according to the law, and compensating them for their looses.
- Stop imprisoning farmers who can’t payback their debts to the development and agrarian credit bank, especially those who don’t own lands and drop their debts to protect their rights in safety.
- Stop taking over farmers agrarian reform lands, and let them own these lands, especially the farmers of Sarando – El Behira, El Heseinaya – El Sharqaya, Suds – Bany Swief and hundreds of farmers in the Egyptian villages.
- Protect farmers from the mono[poly of traders and the big agricultural companies and provide them with farming requirements especially fertilizers and seeds to protect farmers rights in farming.
- Encouraging farmers to participate in improving their conditions by removing the guardianship of the ministry of agriculture off the agrarian associations and unions who will protect these lands and guarantee safe farming for farmers.
- Protecting food, the agrarian products and our animal and agrarian wealth from being genetically engineered and pesticides that cause cancer, and guarantee bio-safety.
The LCHR adjures all of the civil society organizations to support our demands to guarantee farmers rights in participation, a safe and decent life.