Bayer
CropScience Intensifies Efforts Against Child Labor in India
Bayer is intensifying its efforts against
child labor in the Indian cotton seed industry. As part of a wide-reaching
campaign due to start this summer in the new hybrid cotton seed season,
a program has been developed with the Naandi
Foundation to make it possible for more children in the state of Andhra
Pradesh to attend school. A Memorandum of Understanding has just been signed.
The renowned Naandi Foundation has a
great deal of experience in promoting quality elementary education in schools
and cooperates closely with the Government and the Ministry of Education.
The renowned Naandi Foundation has a
great deal of experience in promoting quality elementary education in schools
and cooperates closely with the Government and the Ministry of Education.
A central feature of the campaign is the concentration of the activities
of Proagro Seed Co. Pvt. Ltd., the Indian cotton seed company of Bayer CropScience,
on a few villages in Andhra Pradesh. It is planned to provide various kinds
of support to encourage the farmers not to employ children. Although Proagro's
contracts with the farmers already rule out the use of child labor in cotton
seed production, the problem remains widespread throughout India. As part
of the program Naandi will set up centers
in the villages where children without any previous school education can
be prepared for normal schooling.
"Bayer has already been committed for several years in
the struggle against child labor in India," said Stephan Gerlich, Senior
Bayer Representative for India, about the agreement with Naandi.
"Our objective with the 'Revitalizing Education' program is to continue
our successful achievements to date and make a further decisive contribution
towards improving the situation."
Manoj Kumar, CEO of Naandi,
calls this "a very promising approach. We are happy to partner with
Bayer and Proagro in further working towards our objective to provide more
children with quality education." As part of this project, Naandi will work on community mobilization to create an attitudinal shift among
the parents of the children, farmers and other members of the community.
Further, Naandi will also take measures
to improve the standard of education in existing village schools.
As part of its campaign, Proagro is planning to pay the farmers
a bonus on the procurement price if they discontinue the use of child labor.
The company is also negotiating with banks in order to arrange small credits
at low interest rates. This will help to reduce the debt burden of the farmers.
It is also planned to improve the infrastructure in the various villages,
for example by building or repairing storage areas for harvested crops or
improving the water supply. Proagro will also intensify its cooperation
with another renowned child rights organization in India, the MV Foundation.
For many years Bayer has been pursuing a clear policy against
child labor in all its forms. Its subsidiary Proagro Seed has been committed
for years to the abolition of child labor in cotton fields – child
labor is expressly prohibited in its contracts with the seed-producing farmers.
Proagro has also assumed the presidency of a committee set up within the
Indian seed producers' association for the furtherance of such activities.
All these measures have helped to achieve a noticeable reduction in the
total number of children employed in cotton farming.
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