2012-07-31 | permalink

Monsanto profits from right-wing coup d´etat in Paraguay

Another right-wing coup d'état has toppled a democratically elected president in Latin America. Three years after the coup in Honduras that deposed President Manuel Zelaya in June 2009, the same forces have overthrown President Fernando Lugo in Paraguay. [...] The U.S.-based transnational giant Monsanto is implicated in the events in Paraguay. Monsanto planned to introduce a genetically modified seed for commercial use in the country. Under Lugo's administration, Paraguay's National Service for Plants and Seeds Quality and Health refused to approve the seed's use. The right-wing oligarchs favor the dissemination of Monsanto seeds, while the peasantry has been demonstrating against it. The Union of Associations of Producers, a landowners group tied to Monsanto, was preparing a demonstration for June 25 against Lugo to benefit the giant transnational and the ”liberalization” of its genetically modified seeds. Obviously, they do not need to protest at this point.

• Workers, USA: Latin America resists coup in Paraguay
• Inter Press Service, Italy (IPS): Paraguay opens doors to unregulated foreign investment