Scientists, industry demand passage of new Seeds Bill, changes in policy

Experts argue that the policies must be in tune with the contemporary situation in the seeds sector and the concerns of farmers should be incorporated

On the second day of the three-day National Seed Congress (NSC), scientists, experts and industry partners asked the Centre to revisit and modernise the Seeds Bill of 2004 and the Seeds Policy of 2002 to incorporate the latest developments in the sector. At a panel discussion as part of the 13th NSC, the experts also demanded strategic interventions to face the challenges faced by the seed sector. 

The Seeds Bill, introduced in Parliament in 2004, was not passed due to opposition from farmers. Experts argued that the policies must be in tune with the contemporary situation in the seeds sector and the concerns of farmers should be incorporated in the new policies. “A balanced focus on innovation, farmer empowerment, and policy reforms can pave the way for a resilient and globally competitive seed industry,” said regional coordinator of International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, Shiv Kumar Agarwal. 

Dr. Agarwal, who moderated a panel discussion on the policies and regulations in the country’s seed sector, told The Hindu that the Seeds Bill needs to be reworked. “The present Bill is 20 years old. Many things have changed. But it still can still be sent to all stakeholders so that issues raised by farmers can be addressed. It is about working together. The public sector -- the government -- is good in science and the private sector is very good in taking science to the farmers. So they must join together to deliver the best products to the farmers who need them so that they can use quality seeds efficiently and affordably,” Dr. Agarwal said. 

Former Joint Director of Indian Agriculture Research Institute, Malvika Dadlani, said the country’s seed quality assurance system is weak and needs to be strengthened on issues such as adhering to international standards and upgradation of seed analysts. “Seeds Act, 1966 and Seeds Rules, 1968 have not been revised. Our seed certification standards are much lower than international standards,” she said adding that the proposed Seeds Bill was pending for too long and the existing National Seeds Policy had also not been revised. “We have to clearly define what is a farmer seed and what is a commercial seed. Defining them is very important,” she said. 

The panellists pointed out that outdated legislations, overlap between Central and State jurisdictions, and inconsistent implementation of policies across sectors are creating roadblocks for the sector’s development. Low availability of quality seeds for smallholder farmers, high reliance on informal seed systems and conflicts between proprietary technologies and farmers’ rights are also considered as hurdles along with conflicts over royalties and technology-sharing agreements. They also flagged the dependence on imported germplasm for advanced hybrids and low investment in research and development. 

They demanded farmer-centric approaches to enhance farmer education on the benefits of good seeds and urged the governments to strengthen seed cooperatives to empower smallholder farmers. 

Published - November 29, 2024 09:24 pm IST