By Faiza Ilyas

KARACHI: Organisations representing farmers have strongly opposed the Pakistan Amended Seed Act, 2014 that, they said, is a violation of farmers’ fundamental rights and has been passed by the National Assembly at the behest of American multinational seed manufacturing companies.

The act was passed by the National Assembly a day earlier.

“Under this law, farmers would be fined and imprisoned for preserving, selling and exchanging seeds, a tradition that has been in vogue for centuries. It’s a grave injustice to millions of small and landless farmers whose food insecurity would be aggravated by this law,” said Raja Majeed, national coordinator of Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek, an alliance of small and landless farmers.

The law, he said, made it mandatory for farmers to buy seeds from a licensed company or its agent and that they had to do so every time they cultivated a new crop. This, he said, would create a monopoly of companies and make farmers dependent on them.

According to him, the experience of growing genetically modified (GM) crops, for instance Bt cotton, has been disastrous in the country and the government’s intention to promote them through this law is unfortunate.

“It’s a failure because it a water demanding crop meant for colder areas and is ready for harvest near November. That means we can’t grow wheat on time. Many European countries have banned GM crops because of their severe adverse impact on the environment and we should have done the same,” he said.

Reiterating the farmers’ stance on the matter, he said they stood firm and would take legal action against this new act.

The Joint Director of Roots for Equity, Wali Haider, said how the National Assembly could pass such a law when the subject of agriculture had been passed to provinces.

“The draft of this law was first presented in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and later in the Punjab Assembly. In both provinces, the governments had to face strong resistance from farmers and it was decided that the matter would be forwarded to the National Assembly,” he said.

Citing newspaper reports, he added that farmers’ resistance forced all provincial assemblies to pass a special resolution authorising the federal government to amend the seed act and retain it as a federal subject.

“In 1995, the extremely anti-people, anti-farmer World Trade Organisation (WTO) was formed much against the will of the people, globally. A major reason for people protesting against the formation of the WTO was the Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement (TRIPS) which demanded patent rights on seeds as well as all other new technologies.

“Today, just over 20 years later, Pakistan has amended its seed laws to comply with the monopolistic demands of mega agro-chemical corporations such as Monsanto, Syngenta, Pioneer and others,” he explained.

The cost of the seed, he said, would be borne by small and landless farmers who were already burdened by huge agricultural production costs such as of chemical fertilisers, pesticides and other market-driven agricultural inputs.

“Billions of farmers across the globe are suffering from aggressive neo-colonial legislation imposed by the WTO and corporate agriculture monopolistic giants. Policies range from allowing corporate land grab in Pakistan to aggressive imports of agriculture related technologies ranging from genetic engineering, animal husbandry and the so-called green economy,” he said.

Mr Wali believed that the legislation had been enacted to appease the US whose agriculture department had been complaining about the lack of intellectual property rights for its genetically modified seeds in the country and had urged the government to amend its seed and other intellectual property rights laws.

“No doubt today, with the passing of the seed amendment act, the country has lost an important pillar of its sovereignty. The Plant Breeders’ Rights Act is also pending in the National Assembly and it appears that it would also be passed by the house,” he regretted.

Expressing similar reservations, Nasir Aziz, a policy officer on sustainable livelihood with ActionAid Pakistan said that it was strange that the government had given a free hand to companies under the law while farmers had been threatened with fines and imprisonment if they were found to have seeds.

“Farmers’ right to conserve, sale and exchange seeds has been taken away under this law. It is silent on guarantees on seed germination and has no mechanism for taking legal action against a company if its seeds fail to produce desired results,” he said, raising questions over the law’s implementation in provinces.

Upon contact, Mehmood Nawaz of the Sindh Abadgar Board expressed ignorance over the recent enactment of the law and said the government couldn’t deprive farmers of their fundamental rights.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2015

http://www.dawn.com/news/1170209/farmers-most-affected-by-new-law-on-seeds

http://news.ptv.com.pk/khabarnama_flv_player.asp?name=KHABARNAMA%2016-03-2015&vid=29&desp=.&imge=khabranama.jpg

The Pakistan Amended Seed Act 2014 was approved in the National Assembly on March 16, 2015. This is very unfortunate and extremely tragic news for millions of small and landless farmers of Pakistan. PTV Cannel has released the news through its script coverage (trigger) on the bottom of TV screen. No other media news has as yet provided information on the approval of the Pakistan Amended Seed Act 2014.

In 1995, the extremely anti-people, anti-farmer World Trade Organization (WTO) was formed much against the will of the people, globally. A major reason for people protesting against the formation of the WTO was the Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement (TRIPS) which demanded patent rights on seeds as well as all other new technologies.

Today just over 20 years later, Pakistan has amended its seed laws to comply with the monopolistic demands of mega agro-chemical corporations such as Monsanto, Syngenta, Pioneer and others.

The cost of the seed bill will be borne by the small and landless farmers who are already burdened by huge agricultural production costs such as chemical fertilizers, pesticide and other market driven agricultural inputs.

Billions of farmers across the globe suffering from aggressive neo-colonial legislation pounded by the WTO and corporate agriculture monopolistic giants. Policies range from brutal measures adopted for corporate land grab in Pakistan, to aggressive imports of agriculture related technologies ranging from genetic engineering, animal husbandry, green economy (such as solar tube wells, biogasse plants, hydroponics, etc) are all being pushed on poor third world countries.

Pakistan is no exception. From aggressive land grab in many parts of the country to now the approval of the Amended Pakistan Seed Act 2014, the agricultural sector, the life line of the country is under terrible ambush from the capitalist countries.

The Amended Pakistan Seed Act 2014 is the desire of transnational corporations such as Monsanto, Pioneer and Syngenta. The United States Agriculture Department has many times stated the lack of intellectual property to its genetically modified seeds in the country, urging the country to amend its seed and other intellectual property right laws.

The Plant Breeders Rights Act is also pending in the National Assembly and no doubt will soon follow the same path as the Amended Pakistan Seed Act 2014: another blow to the meager livelihood of farmers.

According to DAWN news, the Mr Sikander Bosan Minister for National Food Security and Research, a new seed laws are needed to fulfill the needs of the modern seed industry; of course the modern industry is entirely in the hands of the big corporate giants.

Roots for Equity has been opposing the grotesque corporate agricultural policies being inflicted on Pakistani agriculture and struggling farmers in the country since its inception in 1997. An alliance of small and landless farmers namely, the Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek formed in 2008 has also stringently rejected the bill and has been demonstrating again the Bill (which has been various shapes in the past years. But the so called democratic system in Pakistan under first the Zardari government and now Nawaz Sharif have obeyed the order of their ‘masters’ in the imperialist countries of the North.

No doubt today, with the passing of the Seed Amendment Bill 2014, the country has lost an important pillar of its sovereignty.

However, history of nations are not written by the signing of laws by oppressive forces but the strength of the peoples determination, voices and actions. It is the peoples’ struggle which will overthrow imperialist powers and put in place genuine peoples democracy in the country!

According to the Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek, they stand firm against the new Act and will take various actions against the grotesque law, which will intensify pauperization of farmers.

In 1995, the extremely anti-people, anti-farmer World Trade Organization (WTO) was formed much against the will of the people, globally. A major reason for people protesting against the formation of the WTO was the Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement (TRIPS) which demanded patent rights on seeds as well as all other new technologies.

Today just over 20 years later, Pakistan has amended its seed laws to comply with the monopolistic demands of mega agro-chemical corporations such as Monsanto, Syngenta, Pioneer and others.

The cost of the seed bill will be borne by the small and landless farmers who are already burdened by huge agricultural production costs such as chemical fertilizers, pesticide and other market driven agricultural inputs.

Billions of farmers across the globe suffering from aggressive neo-colonial legislation pounded by the WTO and corporate agriculture monopolistic giants. Policies range from brutal measures adopted for corporate land grab in Pakistan, to aggressive imports of agriculture related technologies ranging from genetic engineering, animal husbandry, green economy (such as solar tube wells, biogasse plants, hydroponics, etc) are all being pushed on poor third world countries.

Pakistan is no exception. From aggressive land grab in many parts of the country to now the approval of the Amended Pakistan Seed Act 2014, the agricultural sector, the life line of the country is under terrible ambush from the capitalist countries.

The Amended Pakistan Seed Act 2014 is the desire of transnational corporations such as Monsanto, Pioneer and Syngenta. The United States Agriculture Department has many times stated the lack of intellectual property to its genetically modified seeds in the country, urging the country to amend its seed and other intellectual property right laws.

The Plant Breeders Rights Act is also pending in the National Assembly and no doubt will soon follow the same path as the Amended Pakistan Seed Act 2014: another blow to the meager livelihood of farmers.

According to DAWN news, the Mr Sikander Bosan Minister for National Food Security and Research, a new seed laws are needed to fulfill the needs of the modern seed industry; of course the modern industry is entirely in the hands of the big corporate giants.

Roots for Equity has been opposing the grotesque corporate agricultural policies being inflicted on Pakistani agriculture and struggling farmers in the country since its inception in 1997. An alliance of small and landless farmers namely, the Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek formed in 2008 has also stringently rejected the bill and has been demonstrating again the Bill (which has been various shapes in the past years. But the so called democratic system in Pakistan under first the Zardari government and now Nawaz Sharif have obeyed the order of their ‘masters’ in the imperialist countries of the North.

No doubt today, with the passing of the Seed Amendment Bill 2014, the country has lost an important pillar of its sovereignty.

However, history of nations are not written by the signing of laws by oppressive forces but the strength of the peoples determination, voices and actions. It is the peoples’ struggle which will overthrow imperialist powers and put in place genuine peoples democracy in the country!

According to the Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek, they stand firm against the new Act and will take various actions against the grotesque law, which will intensify pauperization of farmers.