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Gist of Editorials: A Potential Seedbed for Private Profits | GS – III

Relevance :  GS Paper  III

Context

Seeds Bill 2019 is now under Parliament’s consideration.

International agreements related to seeds that India joined

  • Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) -1992
  • Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)- 1994
  • International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA – 2001
  • International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) Convention- 2002

PPVFR Act

  • As India was a signatory to TRIPS and UPOV (that gave priority to breeders’ rights) as well as CBD and ITPGRFA (that emphasised farmers’ rights), any Indian legislation had to be in line with all.
  • It was this delicate balance that the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPVFR) Act of 2001 sought to achieve.

The new Seeds Bill

According to the government, a new Seeds Bill is necessary to enhance seed replacement rates in Indian agriculture, specify standards for registration of seed varieties and enforce registration from seed producers to seed retailers.

Role of private sector

  • Today, more than 50% of India’s seed production is undertaken in the private sector.
  • Through the various versions between 2004 and 2019, private sector interests have guided the formulation of the Seeds Bill.
  • Thus, many of the Bill’s provisions deviate from the spirit of the PPVFR

Issues with  the Seeds Bill

  • Seeds Bill insists on compulsory registration of seeds. However, the PPVFR Act was based on voluntary registration.
  • Unlike PPVFR Act, Seeds Bill is not based on an IPR like breeder’s rights.
  • Provision for regulation of seed prices in the Seeds Bill appears neither sufficient nor credible.
  • Unlike PPVFR Act, compensation for farmers in case of failure of performance of seeds is diluted in the Seeds Bill.

The way ahead

  • A farmer-friendly seed legislation need to be framed and executed.
  • Inclination towards hybrids should be avoided.
  • Choices between hybrids, varieties and farm-saved seeds should remain open.
  • Seed prices should be kept affordable.

Conclusion

For the seed sector and its laws to be truly farmer-friendly, the public sector has to recapture its lost space.

 

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