To,
The Union Minister of Agriculture,
Government of India.

Dear Agriculture Minister,

Subj: Ensure Access to Safe Food

We, the citizens of India, have a right to Safe Food and it is the duty of the government to ensure that we have access to safe food.

Today, food in India is contaminated with toxic chemicals at the production stage itself, propelled by a variety of reasons. Meanwhile, it is clearly evident through large-scale experiences on the ground and numerous research studies that farming is productive, economically viable and sustainable without the use of toxic chemicals and dangerous, irreversible technologies like Genetic Modification or Genetic Engineering.

While such farming practices and approaches like organic agriculture and NPM (Non Pesticidal Management of crops) provide vital environmental services, higher net returns to farmers, better health and more valuable produce, they are presently denied even a level playing field, whereas they merit preferential support and incentive, so that progressively more land is converted each year to a safer and more sustainable path.

Therefore, we demand that the government has to ensure our access to safe food by taking up the following measures at the outset:

• Promote and encourage organic/ecological/natural farming with appropriate investments in research, extension and farmers' collectives, incentives to farmers in terms of shift to such farming, and support systems put into place to clean up our food production system of its toxic chemicals and by keeping out the use of Genetically Modified Organisms in Agriculture.

• Ensure access to organic food by establishing/opening of outlets across India (at least one outlet for every 50,000 Indians to begin with), that have a constant, affordable supply of a variety of organic food products (without toxic chemicals or GM Os; the government can use the existing Public Distribution System for the same).

• Provide poison-free food for pregnant women, lactating women, newborns and all children being covered under various food schemes of the government.

• Ban immediately those pesticides that have been banned in other countries and are known to be teratogenic, mutagenic, carcinogenic, endocrine-disrupting, 'extremely hazardous' and with developmental toxicity, as another step in ensuring access to safe food.