Category Archives: Seed Sovereignty

GENETICALLY MODIFIED: GM CROPS – BOON OR BANE?

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The Express Tribune, August 12th, 2016.

Peer Muhammad

ISLAMABAD: Experts are currently debating whether introduction of genetically modified crops (GMCs) would help fulfil nutritional requirements and improve agricultural productivity – or carry with it unwarranted adverse consequences if GMCs are introduced without following standard safety measures.

The views were expressed during a brainstorming session on commercialisation of GMCs in Pakistan, organised by the Ministry of National Food Security and Research at the Pakistan Agriculture Research Centre (Parc).

Dr Muhammad Fahim, a biotechnology expert and professor of Peshawar, warned that among many health implications, there would be adverse effects of GMCs on agriculture exports to European countries if these are adopted without required capacity and safety measures.

“These countries are concerned in the matter and you may lose a good export market,” he maintained. He added that the adaptation of GMCs was not harmful per se, but the lack of expertise on Pakistan’s part to deal with GM technology was a cause for concern.

Meanwhile, former Parc chairman and pro-genetically modified organisms (GMOs) scientist Kauser Abdullah said that the GMO can increase the productivity of famers and it could build tolerance to biotic stress. He added that GMOs will help reduce cost of production and increase productivity. He further said that it will also increase nutritional content in addition to increase the productivity of meat and milk.

The ministry of climate change has given the green light to two multinational companies – Monsanto and DuPont/Pioneer – for commercialisation of the GM corns, which triggered widespread criticism and concerns from the farmer community and experts.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/1160532/genetically-modified-gm-crops-boon-bane/

 

USDA CONFIRMS UNAPPROVED GMO WHEAT FOUND IN WASHINGTON STATE

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Business Recorder, 31 July 2016

NEW YORK: Genetically modified wheat developed by Monsanto Co, and never approved by federal regulators, has been found growing in a Washington state farm field, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on Friday.

The discovery of 22 unapproved genetically modified (GMO) wheat plants has prompted an investigation by federal and state investigators – the third such discovery in three years.

A farmer found the GMO wheat in a field that has not been planted since 2015. The plants had been identified as being one of Monsanto’s experimental varieties “a few weeks ago,” a spokesman from the Washington State Department of Agriculture said.

The USDA is testing grain harvested from the farmer’s other wheat fields as a precaution, the agency said. Officials also reached out to at least one trade group earlier this week, and alerted importers on Thursday.

The grain has not been traced in commercial supplies, USDA said in a statement.

There are currently no commercially approved genetically modified wheat varieties and incidences of rogue plants are rare. The first case was in 2013 in Oregon, which prompted buyers including South Korea and Japan to stop buying US wheat. More unapproved wheat was found in Montana in 2014.

The US Food and Drug Administration believes there is no threat to the food supply due to the small number of plants found and based on what is known about the GMO variety.

South Korea, the fifth largest market for US wheat, said earlier on Friday that the country will step up quarantine measures for US milling and feed wheat shipments.

The discovery comes as the latest blow for the US wheat market as prices hover near multi-year lows amid record-large stocks and stiff competition in global markets from low cost suppliers.

Monsanto helped to develop a test for MON 71700, the strain found in Washington state, which would be available to US trading partners, the USDA said.

The variety was tested in limited field trials in the Pacific Northwest from 1998 to 2000, but was never commercialized, said Monsanto spokeswoman Christi Dixon.

The wheat found in Washington state is a slightly different strain than the one discovered in 2013, although both were developed to withstand applications of glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto’s popular Roundup herbicide.—Reuters

http://epaper.brecorder.com/2016/07/31/15-page/781889-news.html

A Small Farmer’s Advocacy for Agroecology!

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The short documentary is witness to the knowledge of small farmers belief in traditional agriculture systems which are now being often referred to as agroecology.  In this documentary Rasheed Khan, a small farmer and a member of Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek (PKMT) from Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkwa not only talks about the hardiness of crops grown from indigenous seeds but also ‘actively demonstrates’ their tenacity and deep roots in the ground. According to him, the stalk is also strong and even a buffalo would find it hard to take out the crop; whereas for hybrid varieties a simple pull would lift the crop off the ground.

Rasheed Khan has used oxen to prepare the land; according to him using a tractor cost him at least Rs 10,000 and he would much rather use his oxen than the tractor. He elaborates on the benefits of traditional sustainable agriculture practices which are based on the used of animal manure and traditional seed varieties. The corn flour is not only tasty but has much more energy than the hybrid varieties. Rasheed Khan states, “a roti made from the traditional corn varieties is as rich as eating butter.”  In addition, the traditional varieties are tall yielding plentiful fodder for animals which they relish; the milk also has a much better taste than when animals are fed with fodder from hybrid corn varieties.

Rasheed Khan has come back to traditional agricultural production practices after becoming a member of PKMT. According to him, people from the surrounding areas come and see him using traditional methods and he hopes that they will also convert once they understand the benefits.

RISKING AGRI-OUTPUT: BIOSAFETY BODY APPROVES GM SEEDS WITHOUT CONSULTATION

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The Express Tribune, May 20th, 2016

Shahzad Anwar

ISLAMABAD: Commercialisation of genetically modified (GM) seeds, which could cause cancer according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), has been approved without consultation with key stakeholders such as farmers, environmentalists and consumers.

The National Bio-safety Committee (NBC), which examines seed varieties for approval, gave the go-ahead to GM seeds of wheat, peas, sugarcane, potato, mustard, corn and cotton three weeks ago in its 14th meeting.

According to documents available with The Express Tribune, most of the cases approved by the NBC were submitted by the institutions whose representatives were also members of its Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).

These institutions include National Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Faisalabad, Central Cotton Research Institute, Multan and Forman Christian College, Lahore. Multinational companies such as Monsanto, Syngenta and Dupont also sought approval for their GM seeds.

In the meeting, Ministry of Climate Change Secretary Sayed Akif Ahmed told the NBC that they had been criticised for not following proper procedures and taking hasty decisions due to growing commercial interest in genetically modified organisms (GMO).

Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency Director General Irfan Tariq recalled that the committee had approved 70 GM seeds out of the 119 under scrutiny in its previous meeting. The committee had permitted Monsanto and Dupont to commercially use GM corn without conducting large-scale trials and risk assessments and by by-passing biosafety laws.

The government has now reversed this decision.

Despite the criticism, the committee approved 49 cases of laboratory genetic manipulation, import, field trials and commercialisation of GM crops in the 14th meeting and also gave the green signal to 22 varieties of BT cotton.

The NBC also allowed some companies exemption from field trials of their GM seeds.

According to the documents, the NBC granted approvals according to TAC’s recommendations.

However, anti-GMO lobbyists are questioning the composition of TAC.

“It was a deliberate attempt by the National Bio-safety Committee to engage in low-profile discussions and proceedings on GMOs to avoid any outcry from the farmers and conscious citizens,” a source privy to the matter said.

He added large-scale cultivation of GM corn and BT cotton, a genetically modified variety of cotton which produces an insecticide for bollworm, could potentially threaten local seed varieties through cross-pollination. On the other hand, GMO lobbyists argue that genetically engineered seeds are high yielding and insect resistant.

However, their argument has not withstood the test in countries such as India, China and Australia where the per-acre yield has gradually dropped and new pests have emerged.

These countries have now banned cultivation of GM corn or other transgenic food crops.

The source said there were similarities in agro-climatic conditions between some Indian states such as Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, and Pakistan where BT cotton was being cultivated.

He said more than 86% of BT cotton was cultivated in Sindh and Punjab where pink bollworm infestation had been reported since 2011.

He said Pakistan had failed to meet its cotton production target of 15 million bales in 2015-16 and had only harvested 9.5 million bales.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/1106701/risking-agri-output-biosafety-body-approves-gm-seeds-without-consultation/

A CRUCIAL VICTORY FOR BIOSAFETY

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Shalini Bhutani,April 21, 2016, DHNS

CIC held that denial of information merely because the issue is ‘under process’ is unreasonable.

An order given by the Central Information Commission (CIC) in New Delhi on April 1, 2016 hasn’t got the attention it warrants. It is not only a step towards biosafety, but also significant for democracy. The CIC passed the said order in response to an application by a concerned citizen seeking the full biosafety dossier of transgenic mustard from the Environment Ministry (MOEFCC).

A genetically modified (GM) variety of mustard, known as DMH11, has been developed at the Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants (CGMCP) in the University of Delhi (South Campus). The crop developer had submitted the required information on the GM mustard variety to the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC under the MOEFCC) in 2014 and 2015 as part of a mandatory biosafety dossier. It is this information that was sought by the RTI applicant.

The GEAC had conveyed that the crop developer’s application was under review and would only be made public after the appraisal procedure was over. The CIC held that denial of information merely because the issue is ‘under process’ is unreasonable. In the continuing debates on whether or not India should adopt GM seeds in food crops, the views are often deeply polarised. The value of the CIC order is completely lost if it, too, is seen as a two-sided battle between those for and against GM.

Dealing with the real and potential risks of modern biotechnology has three aspects – risk assessment, risk management and risk communication. Much of the discussion in India is on how best to improve the regulatory framework for risk handling, but not enough attention is given to risk communication. Risk analysis is not complete without that.

Communication, in this context, cannot just be a one-way transfer through websites or press releases. To be meaningful to the decision-making process, it has to be interactive. The aspect of consultation is yet to be institutionalised in India. Until now, the broader community and people at large are seen as obstacles in a bureaucratic approval process.
The Office of the Gene Technology Regulator of the Australian government stresses on how findings must be presented to the public in a manner that facilitates inputs. There needs to be an interaction between the decision-making body, the regulating authority and the ordinary public. This is also what the CIC order reiterates. The information needs to be revealed to the public because they are the ones who will be affected if GM mustard is marketed.

Intellectual property (IP), particularly patents and plant variety certificates in the area of crops, can become a means to not only secure exclusive economic rights over one’s innovation, but also to exclude others from seeking information about the same during the pendency of the IP term.

The GEAC had also declined to share any information on GM mustard on the ground that the crop developer had patent rights on the variety. GEAC officials invoked Section 8(1)(d) of the RTI Act, which allows for IP-related information to be withheld if disclosure adversely affects the competitive position of the IP-holder.

Yet, the CIC held that larger public interest warrants the disclosure, in spite of any IP. This is a welcome stance from the point of view of biosafety. In fact, public sector biosafety research on proprietary GM crop varieties can become very restricted or be made expensive by companies due to IP.

International law

The Cartagena Protocol is the international treaty on biosafety. India is a member of this since 2003. It is based on the idea that a country cannot regulate GMOs unless it is aware of them being transported into its area. Therefore, it requires for Advanced Informed Agreements to be signed before living modified organisms (LMOs) are shipped to another country.

The CIC also cited the precautionary principle, which is a globally accepted environmental principle. The principle asks for one to tread with caution when the risks from a technology are not fully known. This is with an end to protect the environment. Both, the global protocol and the principle require access to information to be made workable.
The CIC order makes it easier for the Central government to incorporate the necessary provisions for both transparency of biosafety data and public participation in any new bill that it might draft on the issue of GM.

The Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) Bill has been pending since its first avatar as the National Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India Bill, 2008. There was considerable public outcry on the manner in which the bills attempted to muffle voices speaking out against GM technology.

The CIC has now asked for making public the complete agenda and minutes of the GEAC meetings within 24 hours of approval. The Commission has also directed that all biosafety data pertaining to all other GMOs in the pipeline be part of voluntary disclosure under Section 4 of the RTI Act.

Additionally, it has imposed a time limit, demanding that all directions be complied to before April 30, 2016. This lays the ground for a risk communication charter in the area of biosafety, one in which people can not only ask questions but also get answers.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/541708/a-crucial-victory-biosafety.html#

GOVT STOPS SALE OF GM CORN SEEDS AS PRESSURE BUILDS

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The Express Tribune, April 17th, 2016

Peer Muhammad

ISLAMABAD: As pressure mounts from agricultural scientists and farmers, the government has stopped the commercial sale of genetically modified (GM) corn seeds, in an about-turn after its earlier permission to certain multinational companies to market their seeds, but without meeting the basic criteria.

A federal secretary, who was part of a recent meeting held at the Ministry of Climate Change, told The Express Tribune that the stakeholders present in the huddle decided that the green signal for commercial sale of GM corn seeds would be taken back until a new decision in order to appease the scientists and farmers can be reached.

“The meeting participants agreed to look into the matter again and consider all aspects including implications for the agriculture sector,” a senior official said.

Already, the Ministry of Climate Change had awarded licences to different companies including prominent names like Monsanto and DuPont/Pioneer.

The government allowed the use of two varieties of GM corn seeds namely Insect Protection and Herbicide Tolerant. However, the ministry kept the matter secret and even minutes of a relevant meeting were not provided to the ministries and departments concerned because of fears that the information would be shared.

The move sparked criticism as the scientists and farmers asked how the government could give the approval without undertaking a large-scale open-field trial of the technology in Pakistan. They called it a violation of the national bio-safety laws and the international standard operating procedures.

Experts argue that no authority can approve the commercial sale of GM corn seeds or any other GM crop without a large-scale open-field trial and Pakistan has become a unique case where such approval has been given.

Commenting on the latest development, Monsanto official Aamir Mirza said the company had neither been invited to the last meeting nor had it been officially informed about the decision. “It may be their internal meeting and we have not got any information,” he said.

Mirza believes that the promotion of biotechnology will not only provide immediate benefits for the Pakistani farmers, but it will also send strong signals that the country is welcoming investments in research into cutting-edge technologies. “This will improve the agriculture sector’s international competitiveness over the long term,” he remarked.

Multinational companies claim that a monitoring sub-committee visited fields a number of times for the assessment of trial operations in every growing season in an attempt to collect data and evaluate compliance. The committee has been regularly submitting season-wise and yearly reports to a technical assessment body and relevant departments and ministries, they say.

However, the experts counter that GM corn or maize is a dangerous crop because of cross-pollination that can contaminate non-GM crops within a range of 500 metres.

The climate change minister came under pressure from certain companies and that led to the grant of licences in a clandestine manner, they say.

The scientists insist that instead of big field trials involving the farmers, small-scale tests in confined areas were conducted in certain government institutions and universities, which is entirely insufficient for meeting the standards for winning a licence for commercialisation of any technology.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/1086260/appeasing-stakeholders-govt-stops-sale-of-gm-corn-seeds-as-pressure-builds/

Controversy over commercial use of GM corn seeds

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ASHFAK BOKHARI

A HEATED controversy is raging over whether or not the government has given a go-ahead to some multinationals to make commercial sale of GM corn seeds at a time when the Seed (Amendment) Bill, which allows it, has yet to be passed by the Senate.

The companies claim to have received a formal permission and licences from the Ministry of Climate Change. But in response to a point of order raised by an opposition MNA in the National Assembly a fortnight ago, two federal ministers Khurram Dastgir and Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan categorically denied that the government had given licence to any multinational company for commercial trial of GM (genetically modified) corn seeds. GM corn is stated to be a crop with serious side-effects because of cross-pollination that can contaminate other non-GM crops within a range of 200-500 metres.

The question that remains unanswered is which authorities have given permission to the seed companies. The National Bio-safety Centre, whose committee normally gives approval, is not functional these days and there is none to monitor the new technology and gather data.

However, the permission, if at all, has been given without conducting the required field trials of the GM seeds and this, the critics say, constitutes a clear violation of the national bio-safety laws and the international standard operating procedures. But Croplife, the industry’s representative body, insists that the authorities concerned have already given the go-ahead.

The country’s laboratories are not in a position to handle the situation and its institutions are also not capable of monitoring and regulating the GM corn crop.

Croplife also claims that the Technical Advisory Committee’s sub-committee for field monitoring visited all trial sites in each growing season for collecting data and assessing compliance. The reports for each season and each year were submitted to the relevant departments and ministries.

Besides, it said, the sub-committee for GM corn commercialisation had thoroughly reviewed all the field trial reports to assess the risk and concluded that GM corn is as safe as non-GM corn.

Maybe, instead of field trials involving farmers, some observers say, small-scale tests in confined areas were conducted in certain government institutions and universities. No insect resistance management programme was considered and no proper Refugia was planned. Refugia means a 5-10pc area covered by a crop where non-GM seeds are cultivated to delay resistance.

Monsanto, a leading US seed multinational, claims that the government had recently allowed commercialisation of its GM corn in Pakistan after a long and rigorous process starting from 2009. Aamir Mirza, CEO, of Monsanto Pakistan says that “the government has accepted our two technologies namely Insect Protection and Herbicide Tolerant.”

He said that a monitoring sub-committee had visited fields for assessment of trials a number of times in each growing season and during this period, the company had followed a proper procedure for seeking approval from the National Biodiversity Committee and it went for seed imports and field trials only after the approval was received.

A former chief of Environment Protection Agency, Asif Shuja, says the decision had been taken in haste by the government with no proper procedure followed or risk assessment carried out. This could raise grave problems in future.

The country’s laboratories, he says, are not in a position to handle the situation and its institutions are also not capable of monitoring and regulating the GM corn crop. There is need for a proper risk assessment of the new technology and to ascertain whether the manpower, institutions and system available at the moment could tackle the challenge.

Local seed industry officials are of the view that since the government has no option but to support the biotech industry because of political reasons, what is needed is a strong regulatory system to strengthen the biotech research and development activities.

According to the findings of the World Bank’s International Agency for Research on Cancer made public in March 2015, glyphosate — a chemical in herbicides that are widely used on GM crops — is ‘probably carcinogenic to humans’. Glyphosate is used in a US multinational’s branded herbicide Roundup Ready, which can be sprayed on crops that have been genetically modified to tolerate glyphosate.

Many Pakistani NGOs and farmer organisations have been opposing the GM technology for its anti-farmer bias and health risks. Many of them have written to the Senate’s chairman, asking him to reject the draft Seed Act 2014 and enact a new law in its place that protects the interests of small farmers who under the present bill could be fined and imprisoned for preserving, selling and exchanging seeds, a centuries-old tradition that has helped them produce grains in surplus.

Published in Dawn, Business & Finance weekly, April 4th, 2016

http://www.dawn.com/news/1249740/controversy-over-commercial-use-of-gm-corn-seeds

Experts question approval of GM corn, cotton to be sold in market

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JAMAL SHAHID

ISLAMABAD: The government has approved over 100 varieties of genetically modified corn and cotton to be sold in the market, but the move has drawn concern from some agriculture experts.

They have argued that the regulatory system and national bio-safety laws, and the standard operating procedure for the commercialisation of genetically engineered technology have been ignored.

Defending the government, recently appointed Ministry of Climate Change Secretary Syed Abu Ahmad Akif, expressed his team’s confidence in the integrity of the approval process.

Experts say bio-safety laws, SOPs for commercialisation of genetically engineered technology have been ignored

He said: “The technical advisory committee (TAC), made up of agriculture scientists from around the country, recommended 113 varieties of GM corn and cotton for field-testing and commercialisation. All these recommendations have been approved.”

However, experts maintain that multinational seed producing companies had only conducted small scale two-year regulatory trials in confined fields at their premises.

These companies did not carry out large scale nationwide adaptability trials before selling genetically modified technologies to local farmers as required under international and national laws.

The trials are necessary to check the performance of genetically engineered seeds in domestic environments and assess the risk of imported genetically modified technologies on the local environment and on humans.

“A unique example has been set in the world, where no risk assessment has been conducted of genetically engineered technologies,” a senior official from the Pakistan Agriculture Research Centre (PARC) said.

One of the main concerns of many agriculture experts is that the approved varieties of genetically modified corn and cotton contain herbicide-resistant gene. The PARC official said: “These GM technologies require extensive pesticide sprays, such as Roundup glyphosate, to kill pests and control weeds. Over 34 species of weed have developed resistance against glyphosate around the world, causing super weeds to develop.”

Last year, the World Health Organisation announced that glyphosate, which is a key ingredient in pesticides such as the Roundup herbicide, is a human carcinogen.

PTI MNA Dr Arif Alvi also expressed concerns over the matter in parliament last week. In response to his questions, both Commerce Minister Khuram Dastagir Khan and Minister for National Food Security and Research Malik Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan stated that multinational seed and pesticide production companies were not permitted to market their genetically modified technologies.

However, the country head of the multinational genetically modified seed production company Dupont, Nadeem Mirza, told Dawn that his company can now sell new genetically modified corn seed technologies to farmers.

Aamir M Mirza, the country head at Monsanto, said: “Large scale trials could not be carried out until these technologies, tested and approved in other countries, were approved by local authorities. Large scale trials will now be done after the government has permitted us.”

PTI’s Dr Alvi has said he will move a breach of privilege motion for being mislead in parliament.

“Genetically engineered seed technologies have not been tested in large scale areas. GM corn is a highly cross-pollinating crop and can contaminate other, non-GM crops. GM technologies might be the need of the future, but all the safeguards must be followed before alien varieties of crops are introduced in Pakistan that can endanger its indigenous strategic crops,” he said.

Some of the first countries to adopt genetically engineered cotton, such as India, China and Australia, have not allowed genetically modified corn to be grown on their soil, fearing health and environmental hazards.

Dr Inayatullah, who has a PhD in Entomology (pest control) from the Oklahoma State University, said that once sown, genetically modified crops such as corn will interfere with indigenous crop varieties and harm the natural evolutionary process. He argued that genetically modified varieties would give rise to new pests that would likely endanger Pakistan’s indigenous crops, particularly sugarcane, rice, wheat and sorghum.

“GM crops trigger allergies, diabetes and cancer. This is true in America, one of the largest consumers of GM foods and highest numbers of diabetes and cancer patients,” he said.

Experts have said that in 2014, multinationals had asked to import genetically modified corn and cotton seeds from the United States and the Philippines for large scale testing to assess environmental and health hazards. According to documents available with Dawn, they were not given permission.

In 2014, the Lahore High Court ordered the climate change ministry not to issue licences and no-objection certificates for the trial and commercialisation of genetically modified technologies.

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2016

http://www.dawn.com/news/1248351/experts-question-approval-of-gm-corn-cotton-to-be-sold-in-market

‘WTO DECISION ON EXPORT SUBSIDY TO BENEFIT FARMERS’

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ISLAMABAD: The rich countries agreement to immediately eliminate agriculture export subsidies would provide a level-playing field to Pakistani exports, said Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan on Monday.

The WTO has not only agreed on elimination of agricultural export subsidies but also put more restrictions on Pakistan’s competitors, the minister said in a statement issued after attending the 10th WTO Ministerial in Nairobi, Kenya.

He said Nairobi decisions have helped improve prospects for Pakistani farmers and agriculture exports.

In cooperation with numerous allies, the minister said, Pakistan also successfully resisted a move by some large developing countries that could have hurt Pakistan’s agriculture trade through the said countries’ subsidised export of public stocks amassed in the name of food security.

Export subsidies of developed countries such as Australia, Canada, the European Union, Iceland, Israel, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and the United States shall be eliminated immediately.

By contrast, export subsidies’ entitlement of developing countries like Uruguay, Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Cyprus, Indonesia, Mexico, Panama, South Africa and Turkey, shall be eliminated by 2018.

Mr Dastgir said, “We resisted efforts by some large developing countries to prematurely amend WTO’s Agreement on Agriculture in the name of food security, which would allow them to distort trade in their favour by exporting public food stocks at subsidised prices.”
Pakistan also took the lead in welcoming Afghanistan’s formal accession to WTO, he added.

Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2015

http://www.dawn.com/news/1227901/wto-decision-on-export-subsidy-to-benefit-farmers

PLANT BREEDERS RIGHTS BILL: FARMERS AND SEED COMPANIES TO DEBATE BILL,GIVE INPUT

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By Peer Muhammad

The proposed law is targeted at achieving several goals such as encouraging plant breeders and seed organisations in the public and private sectors to invest in research. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD: In a bid to establish a viable seed industry, the government last month introduced the Plant Breeders Rights Bill 2015 in the National Assembly. The bill is aimed at ensuring availability of high-quality seeds and planting material to farmers.

All major stakeholders will give their opinion and input for inclusion in the bill in a meeting next week at the Ministry of National Food Security and Research. Later, the lower house will refer the bill to the standing committee concerned for deliberations.

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat after discussing the bill decided on Monday to invite all relevant stakeholders including farmers, private seed companies and provincial government officials to the next meeting at the food ministry.

Plant breeder rights are specific intellectual property rights that are provided to the breeders of new varieties of plants. Apart from this, in order to comply with the World Trade Organisation or trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS) agreement, the government has already introduced several other laws to protect intellectual property.

The proposed law is targeted at achieving several goals such as encouraging plant breeders and seed organisations in the public and private sectors to invest in research and plant breeding, develop superior varieties of field, vegetable and ornamental crops and facilitate access to protected foreign varieties and new technologies.

Additionally, the bill will encourage healthy competition in seed variety development among public and private sector organisations, facilitate in generating revenues for research institutes, provide financial incentives for plant breeders and effectively control counterfeiting for the betterment of farmer community and ensuring food security.

At present, many foreign companies are not coming to Pakistan to invest in this industry due to lack of protection for their products in the absence of an effective plant breeder rights law.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29th, 2015

.http://tribune.com.pk/story/1017797/plant-breeders-rights-bill-farmers-and-seed-companies-to-debate-bill-give-input/