Draft Seeds Bill promotes private monopoly: Kisan Sabha

The provisions of the draft Seeds Bill undermine the role of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and other public sector research institutions and allow monopoly of the private sector over the seed sector, the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) said in its response to the Union Agriculture Ministry on the draft Seeds Bill.

The AIKS warned the Centre not to go ahead with the Bill in its present form and asked the government to consult farmers’ organisations, state governments, scientific communities, and NGOs engaged in the seed sector.

In the response, the AIKS said the right to produce, preserve, and exchange or transfer seeds among themselves has always been seen as an unquestionable right of the peasantry. “Any legislation on seeds should protect the basic rights of the farmers to grow, sow, re-sow, save, use, exchange, share, or sell seeds. This should be protected as an inalienable right,” they demanded.

Lliberalises seed import

The AIKS said, the new Bill liberalises imports of seeds and planting materials, and promotes ‘Ease of Doing Business’, which fails to account for the fact that the commercial seeds market is controlled by a mere four agribusinesses: Bayer (23%), Corteva (19%), Syngenta (10%), and BASF (4%).

“Considering the increasing corporate concentration in agriculture and the stranglehold of oligopolies in the seed market, any seed legislation should have acted against such a trend and aimed to protect farmers. The priority should have been to ensure affordable quality seeds, and planting material with an emphasis on price control rather than on ‘Ease of Doing Business’,” the representation said.

AIKS leaders Ashok Dhawale and Vijoo Krishnan said in the response that Section 6 of the draft Bill should clearly explain seed quality, germination, seed safety, seed health, and physical purity. “In the event of germination being below 80% and if purity is compromised, stringent action must be taken. Cancellation of license and blacklisting of the company must be done forthwith apart from punitive measures including hefty fines and compensation to farmers,” they added.