This presentation was developed in response to the draft Seed Bill, pending before the Parliament.

1. Protecting Farmers
Interests in Seed
Policies and
Legislation
Dr. D. Narasimha Reddy
Chetana Society, Hyderabad

2. Seed and plant material
Agricultural production
Higher yields
Food security
Quality of crop
Cost of production
Agri-climatic conditions

3. STAKEHOLDERS
Public
sector:
National
Private Public
sector- Sector:
domestic State
Farmers
Corporate
Seed
Sector:
Farmers
MNCs

5. Seed Progression
Nucleus Breeder Foundation Certified
Seed Seed Seed Seed
•Public Sector •Marketing
•Developing a •Genetically pure
•Private Sector •Risk Management
particular variety •Source for
•MNCs •Market Intelligence
•Used for foundation seed
•Hybrids •Warehouse
multiplication
•Value-addition •Trademark
National Agricultural Research
System Improved Higher
Public Sector Seed Production Product Mix Revenues
agencies
Multinational companies

6. Types of Seeds
Genetically
Self Cross Hybrids Modified
Pollinated Pollinated
•Public
Farmers •Domestic
Public
Public Private
sector Sector •MNCs

7. Seed Industry: Volumes
250
200
150
Total Seed
100 Production
Private sector
50
0

9. Seed Industry: Details
India – biggest seed market
$920 million, or about Rs.5,000 crores
Domestic $900 million, exports $20 million
Open pollinated seed market: around $ 118 million
Vegetable seed sector employment 7 lakhs
Local and unidentified varieties (farmer controlled)
statistics are not known – probably 30 to 50%
Highest seed market is cotton (80% hybrid): Rs.1870
crores
National Seeds Corporation, 1963
15 State seed corporations
500 private seed companies
National Seed Association of India (NSAI)

10. Seed Policies and Legislation
Enactment of the Seeds Act, 1966
Seed Review Team-SRT (1968)
National Commission on Agriculture’s Seed
Group (1972)
Seed Control Order (1983)
New Policy on Seed Development (1988)
National Seeds Policy (2002)
The Seeds Bill (2004)
Formulation of National Seed Plan (2005)
The Seeds Bill, now

11. NATIONAL SEEDS POLICY, 2002: THRUST AREAS
variety development
plant variety protection
quality assurance
infrastructure facilities
transgenic plant varieties
import and export
promotion of domestic private sector
seed industry
strengthening of the monitoring system

12. SEEDS BILL, 2004: SALIENT FEATURES
Registration of kinds and varieties of
Seeds etc.
– Evaluation of performance
– Compensation to Farmers
– Registration of Seed Producers & Processing Units
– Seed dealers to be Registered
Regulation of Sale of Seed and Seed
Certification
• Seed Analysis and Seed Testing
• Export and Import of Seeds & Planting Material
• Offences and Punishment

13. Farmers Public seed system
Seed Act
Private Seed Industry Seed Farmers

14. Seed Public seed Private seed Farmers
Farmers system industry • Seed price
• Market Price • Funds • Assured control
• Assurance • Research markets • Quality
• Subsidies assurance
• Credit, etc • Protection of
germ plasm • Assured price • Compensation
• Food • Higher • Seed
production margins replacement
rate (SRR)
• Freedom

15. Issues before Seed Bill
Quality assurance to farmers
– spurious seeds
– under performing seeds
– non-performing seeds
Price Control
• Share of seed in the cost of production is
going up
Increasing yields
• Productivity
• Quality of produce

16. Issues before Seed Bill
Biotechnology Regulatory Authority
Bill
– GM seed regulation (by which Act)
– Can Seed Act deregister any GM
seed?
Field Contamination
• Legal procedures for seed/varietal
contamination in the fields
• Quality of produce

17. Issues before Seed Bill
Informal sector
• Seed propagation by farmers
• Wild seeds
Protection of germplasm
• Patents
• Privatisation of public
properties

18. Suggestions
Provision for non-commercial seed
exchange (barter, free, etc.)
Quantitative restrictions (ex.1000
kgs) might be feasible on non-
commercial exchange
Public monitoring of Seed
Registration process, including the
decisions of the Committee

19. Suggestions
Pricing of nucleus, breeding,
foundation and certified seeds to be
brought under Seed Bill
Compulsory Joint venture for
Foreign Direct investment (FDI)
Compulsory registration of nuclear,
breeder and foundation seed details
with the National Register

20. Suggestions
Printing of expiry date on all
commercial seed products, and
punishment for violations
Specify the procedure and criteria
for constitution of Registration
Committee
Provision for inclusion of farmers
representatives on the Registration
Committee

21. Suggestions
Regulation of seed, planting material
and germplasm imports and exports
Compulsory field trials for imported
seed registration
No import of unregistered variety
Provision for liability of importer on
violations, offences and punishment
Removal of the ‘barter’ from the
section ‘Offences and punishment’

22. Suggestions
Punishment should be more, for
misbranded, spurious and non-
conformity to standards of purity
Self-pollinating varieties should be
excluded from selective provisions of
the Act
Organic method of seed production
should be given encouragement in
the Act

23. Suggestions
Environmental and labour standards
should be part of the Act, for
commercial seed production
Seed price monitoring should be
defined in the Act
Transgenic and/or GM varieties in
food crops should be discouraged,
under Precautionary Principle

24. Thank You
For suggestions and
comments:
nreddy.donthi@gmail.com