Blackmail? U.S. Government Ties El Salvador USD 277 M Aid Package to Monsanto’s GMO Seeds

The President of the El Salvadoran Center for Appropriate Technologies (CESTA), Ricardo Navarro, has demanded that the U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador, Mari Carmen Aponte, stops pressurizing the Government of El Salvador to buy Monsanto’s GM seeds rather than non-GMO seeds from domestic suppliers.

“I would like to tell the U.S. Ambassador to stop pressuring the Government (of El Salvador) to buy ‘improved’ GM seeds,” said Navarro, which is only of benefit to U.S. multinationals and is to the detriment of local seed production, Verdad Digital reported last week.

In recent weeks, the U.S. has been pushing the El Salvadoran Government to sign the second Millennium Challenge Compact. One of the main conditions on the agreement is allegedly for the purchasing of GM seeds from Monsanto.

At the end of 2013 it was announced that without ‘specific’ economic and environmental policy reforms, the U.S. government would not provide El Salvador with $277 million in aid money through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).

It is now clear that by ‘specific reforms’ the MCC means reforms that allow GM crops and their associated pesticides to be forced on El Salvador’s Government and citizens.

Blackmail? U.S. Government Ties El Salvador USD 277 M Aid Package to Monsanto’s GMO Seeds

a reply to: LrdRedhawk

Profit machines are a natural feature of capitalism.

If allowed to continue on the present track, they will ruin the Earth and wipe out most humans in the process.

Don't hate the player, hate the game.
-Skynet.

Well. Good on El Salvador. I truly hope they can and will stick to their guns on this one.

They don't need or deserve our tainted blackmail "humanitarian aid". Yes, that money could help the country, but really that is only a drop in the bucket on a grand long-term scale of things. Plus it would equal total corporate servitude and food supply control for them. I love seeing a country look at the facts and shout "NO!"

And this is why the usa is not a government anymore. They are a multi national corporation pr division.

a reply to: LrdRedhawk

Where does El Salvadore typically get their seeds from?

Do they generally take our money and buy seed from other countries?

Why is the U.S. Ambassador peddling Monsanto's goods? I believe he's on our payroll, not theirs. Moonlighting.... or kickbacks? Conflict of interest anyone?