Farmers and fishermen hold unique May Day rally in North

By Yohan Perera  

In what is seemed to be a significant show of solidarity, farmers, fishermen, dairy farmers, indigenous communities, and plantation workers gathered in Mannar to celebrate May Day this year.   
The May Day has been organized under the theme “Let’s build farmer power against exploitation, oppression, and repression,” the event aimed to draw social attention to the numerous challenges faced by rural communities across the country. The event was jointly organized by activists working toward a National Farmers’ Movement and People’s Planning Forums from all eight provinces.   
The May Day parade and rally highlighted several pressing issues affecting rural communities, including the exploitation of natural resources such as land, water, and seeds; human-elephant conflicts; pressure from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund; the predatory microfinance loan system that particularly burdens women; and what they called systematic exclusion of farmers, fishermen, dairy farmers, plantation workers (Malaiyaga people), and indigenous communities from national decision-making processes.   
This year’s Farmers’ May Day declaration brought 30 key issues to the government’s attention. The declaration emphasized demands for a political solution to the national problem, stopping plans to seize lands from small-scale food producers including farmers, ensuring dignified living conditions and land rights for plantation workers, uniting the working and farming classes, immediately withdrawing from IMF loan programmes, returning all lands seized from people in the North and East, halting the exploitation of natural resources, establishing food sovereignty as a fundamental right, and abolishing all repressive legislation.