South Korean farmers on Wednesday held demonstrations in Nairobi, outside the Kenya National Archives, protesting against the agenda in the ongoing World Trade Organisation (WTO) conference at Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
The farmers were demanding a halt to the WTO deliberations citing that the meeting's agenda, would only be beneficial to developed states while harming the lives of small scale farmers globally.
The Koreans walked through the streets of Nairobi, waving placards while singing in Korean language. The group's message was that poor farmers would continue to suffer in the hands of developed countries which were pressing for the importation of their cheap processed goods.
“Poor farmers have nowhere to sell their farm produce while their industries continue closing doors and sending workers home since processed foodstuffs are flooding supermarket shelves across the world,” Korean Peasants League Spokeswoman Hae-Yeon Chung was quoted by Nation.
“It is evil that the European and American governments heavily subsidise farm inputs for their farmers and promote their exports by looking for markets for their cheaply produced goods in poor nations.
“Our products cannot compete with the processed foodstuffs from Europe and America since they have been lowly priced,” she added.
This is the first time the WTO conference is being hosted in Africa. About 7,000 delegates are said to be attending the 10th WTO, half of whom are foreigners.
President Uhuru Kenyatta officially opened the meeting on Tuesday, that is expected to come to a close on Friday.
WTO provides a forum for member nations to negotiate agreements aimed at reducing obstacles to international trade and ensuring a level playing field for all, thus contributing to economic growth and development.
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