The largest national farming organization in India, AIKS, announced that it will boycott Israel. We must protest this shameless BDS resolution and call on AIKS to rescind it. 

Last month, the largest national organization representing farmers in India announced that it has joined the anti-Israel BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanction) movement.

All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) announced that it endorsed boycotts against Israel until it “complies with international law, in order to stand for the rights of the Palestinian people and to resist the corporate takeover of the Indian agriculture sector by Israeli companies.”

AIKS is a communist organization that is spread across 21 states in India and is over 16 million members strong.

While this boycott’s financial significance is probably negligible, the moral statement is deplorable and must be protested by anyone who espouses moral consistency.

Israel has a long and proud history of providing aid to Indian farmers and helping them develop their agricultural endeavors.

In October 2017, thanks to Israeli drip irrigation, 15,000 farmers in Karnataka, southwestern India, harvested their first monsoon season crop in years.

Israeli biotech company, BioFeed, has developed a “no-spray” solution to kill the fruit flies that have been devastating mango plantations in India.

In 2016, the Indian state of Haryana initiated micro-irrigation projects based on Israeli expertise at 14 sites. Israeli agricultural professionals work extensively in Haryana and neighboring Punjab, as well as around the country.

In December 2015, The Indo-Israel vegetable center of excellence in Haryana boosted the annual number of seedlings grown by state farmers from half a million in 2011 to six million in 2015. Farmers from Punjab, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh are also using the facility.

In April 2015, India signed a memorandum of understanding with Israel to set up a dairy development center in Haryan. It includes a model dairy farm with 110 cows to teach Indian farmers about Israeli technology to increase production in the world’s largest milk producer.

This ungrateful boycott comes on the heels of an historic visit by Indian Prime Minister Neranda Modi to Israel in July, a visit that underscores the burgeoning ties between the two nations.

This belligerent move by the AIKS is immoral and unjust, as well as extremely counterproductive for the farmers themselves. Allegations of an Israeli “corporate takeover” are ridiculous and shameful.

We must demand that AIKS rescind its call to boycott Israel.

Demand that the AIKS ingrates rescind their call to boycott Israel!

Click here to send AIKS a message on Facebook.

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