The National Policy for Farmers 2007 is aimed at increasing the income of MNCs and not farmers, alleged Dr Vandana Shiva, founder of Navdanya, a movement for organic farming.
Addressing reporters here on Bangalore on Friday, Dr Shiva said, “The policy will not redress problem of farmer suicides. It was also very fragmented in nature.” A policy based on organic farming is the only way to better the lives of farmers, she said.  The suicides of farmers in the country started only with with entry of agro-businesses in the nineties, she said.
Delivering a talk on ‘A dialogue on National Policy for Farmers’, organised by Friends of Organic at the Institution of Agriculture Technologists, she said, “The word ‘organic farming’ is used in the policy but what it is supposed to mean is the purchase of products from elsewhere.”
“Low-cost ecological farming is the need of the hour,” she said.  “The Centre needs to realise agriculture is a state subject and not attempt to thrust their policies,”  she added.
Stating that her organisation will not allow the policy to be implemented, Dr Shiva said a group of parliamentarians will speak against it during the coming budget session of Parliament. 
M L Narayana Reddy, pioneer of organic farming in Karnataka said farmers were now forced to pay  a fortune to obtain seeds which were available cheaply and easily earlier.
Dr U R Ananthamurthy, Jnanpith awardee, called for alternative mode of production.
A felicitation function was also organised for ‘torch-bearers of the organic movement’ — Dr L Narayana Reddy, pioneer of organic farming in Karnataka, State awardee environmental journalist Nagesh Hegde and State awardee Bharama Gowda.