The approval of the GM crop was sent by the Peruvian Ministry of Agriculture to the Presidency only two days before the elections, which called the attention of the public opinion. This proposal was approved on April 15 through the Sector’s Ruling on Biotechnology: just over a month before celebrating the run-off that will decide the country’s next president.

The appointment of former chair of the Peruvian Association for Development of Biotechnology (Perubiotec) was key. The association promotes the entering of genetically modified seeds in the country. He is also CEO of two companies that sell seeds.

The resolution would seek to commit an incoming administration that would accept the platform of the peasant movement in its government program, by favoring family farming, Lourdes Huanca told Real World Radio. She is a member of the National Federation of Peasant, Indigenous and Working Women of Peru (Femucarinap), an organization member of La Via Campesina in Peru.

The peasant organizations had an urgent meeting on Monday to decide on their next steps. A demonstration outside the offices of transnational corporation Monsanto is planned for next Thursday April 28. Monsanto is the world’s number one seed retailer.

“They know that they don’t have much time to make decisions that would be later hard for an incoming government to undo”, said the peasant leader. She said that an attempt to approve GMOs in 2008, with strong pressure from Monsanto, had finished with a commitment for a moratorium until 2014, which was not fulfilled by decision of Alan Garcia’s administration.

“We have decided to do this protest because as peasant women this is how we defend life”, said Lourdes Huanca.

She also mentioned plans to meet presidential candidate Ollanta Humala. He could be elected the next president of Peru in the run-off that will take place on June 5, against right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori.

Huanca says that the support of the peasant-indigenous sector to the presidential candidate will depend on his commitment with the platform of the peasant movement and towards a peasant-oriented budget.

Only then will Humala have their vote.