Al-Hasahisa, February 04 (Darfur24)
The Gezira and Managil Project Farmers Alliance has renewed its rejection of the Gezira Scheme Act of 2005, as amended in 2014, as well as the Agricultural and Livestock Production Associations Law, reaffirming its demand for the establishment of a legitimate and unified farmers’ union as the sole representative of farmers and defender of their rights.
In a statement issued on Monday, the alliance described the agricultural and livestock production associations as an extension of the 2005 law, which it termed a “disastrous law,” accusing it of contributing to the destruction of the Gezira Scheme and the looting of its assets and infrastructure.
The alliance said the law led to the loss of key facilities, including the railway, agricultural engineering services, cotton gins and the Excavation Corporation, in addition to dismantling farmers’ cooperative institutions.
According to the statement, two official committees, the first headed by Dr. Abdullah Al-Salam in 2009 and the second by Dr. Taj Al-Sir Mustafa in 2013, recommended repealing the 2005 law and holding those responsible accountable for what they described as acts of sabotage that affected the project. It added that the Supreme Court had previously invalidated land sales within the Gezira Scheme.
The alliance said the Agricultural and Livestock Production Associations Law was passed under what it described as “suspicious circumstances” and imposed on farmers despite their rejection, particularly by leaders of the Sudanese Farmers Union. It argued that the law aims to fragment farmers’ unity and weaken their ability to defend their land.
The statement quoted Mahmoud Mohamed Nour, a leader in the Sudanese Farmers Union and a former member of the Gezira Scheme Board of Directors, who said the law was presented to the union in 2008 as a “Dutch experience.” He said the majority of union members rejected it after extensive discussions, concluding that it was unsuitable and could not serve as an alternative to the Farmers Union.
The alliance warned that the law grants greater administrative influence to owners of larger landholdings within the associations, which it said could enable what it described as parasitic capitalism to dominate the scheme’s land in the future. It also expressed concern that the law could open the door to mortgaging land in exchange for agricultural financing.
The Gezira and Managil Project Farmers Alliance reaffirmed its commitment to forming a legitimate and unified farmers’ union and called for the formation of legal committees to hold those responsible for damaging the project accountable and to recover all looted assets. It stressed that it would continue to advocate for farmers’ rights, particularly issues related to the Cotton Company and cooperative institutions.
The Gezira Scheme Act of 2005 was issued as part of a government effort to restructure the project in line with economic liberalization policies and to reduce the state’s role in managing the agricultural sector.
The law effectively ended the system under which the Gezira Scheme had operated since its establishment in the 1920s, which was based on a tripartite partnership between the state, farmers and project management. It also abolished the Gezira Scheme Farmers Union as an elected body representing farmers, paved the way for the privatization of several project institutions, transferred administrative powers to new entities, and redefined the relationship between farmers, land, financing and production.