Senate body approves controversial bill on importing GM crops seed

Posted on June 11, 2015 by Roots for Equity

ISLAMABAD: A Senate committee approved on Wednesday the controversial Seed Amendment Bill 2015 which the National Assembly has already passed.

But the controversy is likely to persist because the law allows the import and commercialisation of genetically modified (GM) crops in Pakistan, which many agricultural and environmental experts consider harmful for the country.

It was the controversy that made Senate chairman refer the bill to the Senate Standing Committee on National Food Security to address the concerns farmers, lawyers, civil society and seed company associations had about the legislation.

Critics allege that the government took advantage of a turbulent period when public attention was fixed on terror attacks to get the National Assembly pass the bill “unanimously”.

Chairman of the Senate committee Senator Syed Muzafar Hussain Shah also announced unanimous approval of the bill at the conclusion of three-hour long discussion on it in the committee on Wednesday.

However, one member, Senator Mohammad Mohsin Khan Leghari, did oppose passing the bill “in haste” and allowing GM crops into Pakistan without laying down the rules and procedures to regulate imported seeds.

He said the Ministry of Food Security and Research should guarantee that the imported GM seeds are free of disease and suitable for the local environment, and wondered “why are we pushing for passing the bill when nations from Asia to South America have had terrible experiences with GM crops?”

“Farmers in India are committing suicide because of poor results of growing Bt Cotton. There farmers are entangled in a web knit by multinational companies and their indigenous cotton seeds have been wiped out,” he reminded.

Senator Leghari believes that the Seed Amendment Bill 2015 is being passed in haste without analysing the consequences of opening our doors to GM crops.

An agriculture expert in Pakistan Agriculture Research Council described the legislative exercise as illegal.

“The National Assembly cannot discuss the bill since its subject is a provincial matter. After the 18th Constitution Amendment, the provinces have the authority to frame laws on the subject,” he said.

A government official, on the condition of anonymity, shared his belief with Dawn that the government misinformed the Senate Standing Committee that provincial assemblies of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh had passed resolutions under Article 144 of the Constitution allowing the federal government to make amendments to the bill.

The Punjab government sent only its comments on the bill, according to him.

Federal Secretary Food Security and Research Seerat Asghar conceded to the Senate committee that Pakistan lacked mechanisms and trained manpower to ensure checks and balances on genetically modified cotton, but said “this bill ensures checks and balances. It lays down a strict procedure to check and regulate GM crop seeds.”

“To satisfy the committee, the government will consult its members while making rules on imports of genetically monitored crop seeds to make regulations strict,” said the official, urging the committee not to delay the bill further for it had been hanging fire since 2007.

Pakistan is signatory to Cartagena Protocol on Bio-safety, which does not permit import and commercialisation of GM crops without bio-safety regulations and proper infrastructure in place.

Anti-GM lobby in the country says that 85 per cent of Pakistan’s cotton belt is already under genetically engineered Bt cotton and multinational seed and pesticides companies are pushing to introduce genetically modified corn and maize seeds.

Many agricultural and environmental experts have been arguing that GM crops threaten Pakistan’s food security.

Critics say the bill ignored the eight-year long trial period of imported GM crop varieties/hybrid in different locations to study its adaptability and assess diseases that could spread from sowing into the local environment and have hazardous impact on human health.

They also say that genetically modified cotton introduced in Pakistan has been a failure. Growers complain that use of pesticides has increased and yields gone down since the GM cotton seed arrived as pests have developed resistance to the variety sooner than expected.

These critics claim that the government is trying to introduce Bollgard II, the second generation of Bt cotton seed, after Bollgard I failed to deliver promised results over the past five years.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2015

http://www.dawn.com/news/1187523

New seed law might create foreign monopoly

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Roots for Equity

The enforcement of this law will also be a violation of the 18th Amendment. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

HYDERABAD: The National Assembly’s (NA) enactment of the Pakistan Amended Seed Act, 2014, has rattled the farmers’ community, who fear being flooded by foreign Genetically Modified (GM) seeds.

The NA passed the bill on March 17, although it is yet to be promulgated after the senate and the presidential approval, as the federal government appears determined to sail it through these stages.

“The parliament will approve it during next three months. The new law will allow foreign companies to invest in the seed sector of the country,” said Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Sikandar Hayat Bosan.

“The law has been passed to pander to the wishes of multinationals,” said Mohammad Boota Sarwar, a former official of the Punjab Seed Corporation and an expert of locally-produced seeds.

“This can potentially create a monopoly for foreign companies who will exclusively import hybrid and GM seeds to the Pakistani market.”

Once enforced, it will be made mandatory for growers to buy seeds from a licensed company or its dealer. Moreover, the old practice by local farmers can bring penalty and even imprisonment.

“It will be an injustice to small-scale farmers who use informal seed marketing as a livelihood,” said Sarwar.

Sindh Chamber of Agriculture General Secretary Nabi Bux Sathio said the enforcement of this law will also be a violation of the 18th Amendment.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20th, 2015.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/856027/new-seed-law-might-create-foreign-monopoly/

AMENDED SEED ACT, 2014 IRKS STAKEHOLDERS

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Roots for Equity

BY AHSAN JAMIL ISD:

The GMO crop imposition by the federal government of Pakistan in term of the Seed (Amendment) Act, 2014 has instilled soreness amongst macro and micro entities of agriculture sector. The bill allows import of GM seeds and their intellectual property rights (IPR), which goes against the social practices and seed culture of Pakistani farmers. The said bill was approved by the National Assembly in this month.

The adversaries of GMO crop do express sweltering concerns about food insecurity that may lead to severe dependency on multinationals due to commercialization of GMO crops in Pakistan and their IP rights. Opponents of GMO believe that mandatory lawful procedures have not been followed in amendment of Seed Act 1976.

One of the major contentions emanated by rebels of the bill is that the federal government has not taken prior consent from provincial governments for amendment of the act that was obligatory after 18th amendment of constitution of Pakistan. According to various circles in agriculture sector this is contemptible violation of the article 142(c) of the constitution.

Furthermore, a sneak into near past paints a more ominous picture; honorable Lahore High Court (LHC) rescinded the authority of Pakistan Environmental Agency to issue BT Cotton (a genetically modified variety of cotton crop) license in its decision of May 12, 2014. Surprisingly, a certificate from National Biosafety Committee (NBC) which is a committee of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA-PAK) was made compulsory for registration of GMO crop. This has unfolded a new avenue of debate that how a certificate from an organization having no lawful authority has been made compulsory to obtain?

There are several sworn opponents of GM crops in the federal government tiers as well. Earlier this month, Mushahidullah Khan, Minister of Climate Change has said while talking to media, “It is part of my conviction that the GM food and pesticides applied on them are the main causes of diseases such as cancer and other health problems, including low fertility in males.”

The same affect has been manifested in the livestock when bt cotton seedcake was used. In 2013, at Military Farm Okara aflatoxins was found in the animals, which caused cattle mortality and non-preference to bt cotton seedcake.

Erstwhile official of Punjab Seed Corporation, Mohammad Boota Sarwar remarked about the law, “The law has been passed to gratify the multinational GM seed producing companies.”

The Pakistan Amended Seed Act, 2014 has also scampered fright amongst farmers` community and they are at serious peril due to visible hovering challenge of foreign GM seeds that will occupy the seed market and bolster multinational GM seed producing companies.

It is also noteworthy that Clause 28 (2) of Plant Quarantine Act 1976 does not allow import of cotton seed in the country more than 1 pound and this amended act contradicts the same violently thus ransacking food security and opportunities for farmers.

Highlighting the status of seed producing companies, former Governor Punjab (Chair of Joint Action Group on Cotton Seed) said that 700 Seed Companies are bogus out of 750 registered companies working in Pakistan with recognized legal status under Seed Act 1976.

The law is expected to promulgate after senate and presidential approval within few months. However, the stakeholders such as agriculture scientists, farmers still urge government to reverse the law and make necessary provisions in it, in order to attain food security and harness the inkling of farmers in particular which have already been shuddered since the law has passed. It appears as if the law is reduced to pander just multinational GM seed producing companies instead of evolving agriculture sector as a whole keeping food security intact.

http://technologytimes.pk/post.php?id=7650

Scientists behind ‘golden rice’ GM crop to receive humanitarian award from the White House

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Roots for Equity

Biotechnologist Dr. Swapan Datta inspects a ‘Golden Rice’ plant at the International Rice Research Institute

The scientists who invented vitamin-enriched “golden rice” will receive a humanitarian award tomorrow from the White House in Washington for developing a staple food that could save the lives of millions of people in the developing world.

Golden rice is genetically manipulated to turn on the genes for making beta-carotene, a nutritional precursor the body needs to manufacture its own vitamin A. These genes are switched off in ordinary white rice which can lead to severe vitamin A deficiency causing tens of millions of cases of blindness and death each year, mainly in South East Asia.

Environmental campaigners opposed to golden rice have organised the destruction of experimental field trials on the grounds that the GM rice represents a high-tech “quick fix” to vitamin A deficiency without addressing the underlying problems of poverty and poor nutrition.

“Genetically engineered ‘golden’ rice is environmentally irresponsible, poses risk to human health and could compromise food, nutrition and financial security,” said Greenpeace, which has led the opposition to the crop for the past two decades.

However, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the US Patent and Trademark Office have awarded the inventors of golden rice the prestigious Patents for Humanity Award, which will be presented to Adrian Dubock, who as a former scientist at the agro-chemicals company Syngenta helped to arrange for the intellectual property behind the research to be made available free of charge to developing countries.

Dr Dubock, who will accept the award in Washington, shares the prize with its two co-inventors, Professor Ingo Potrykus of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and Peter Beyer of the University of Freiburg in Germany, who granted Syngenta the rights to develop the technology. The company announced in 2004 that it had no continuing interest in the commercial exploitation of golden rice but would continue to support its development as a humanitarian project.

Vitamin A deficiency is a leading killer of children globally, accounting for between 2m and 3m deaths per year, as well as causing about 500,000 cases of blindness annually. White rice is the main daily staple crop for about 3.5bn people in the world, even though it is deficient in vitamin A, which is typically found in meat and leafy vegetables.

Supporters of golden rice said that it could have been introduced a decade ago but opposition by environmentalists has held up its regulatory approval, leading to the preventable death and blindness of tens of millions of people.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/scientists-behind-golden-rice-gm-crop-to-receive-humanitarian-award-from-the-white-house-10187978.html

18 Indonesian Peasant leaders are arrested!

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Roots for Equity

Jakarta (20/4/15). 18 militant peasant leaders of Aliansi Gerakan Reforma Agraria (AGRA- Alliance of Agrarian Reform Movement, a militant peasant organisation are arrested in the front US Embassy in Jakarta. They are being arrested for their action against US intervention in 60th Asia-Africa Conference that already held since yesterday in Jakarta

This photo is taken from inside police bus, on their way to Jakarta Police Headquarters

Farmers Sovereignty or Corporate Sovereignty

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Roots for Equity

An abridged version of this piece was printed in the Finance and Business pages of Daily DAWN on March 13, 2015.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1175542/farmers-or-corporate-sovereignty

The Pakistan Senate, in the context of passing the Amended Pakistan Seed Act 2014, has much to think about. It is indeed fortunate that so many new developments with respect to genetic engineering technology are coming to light at this point which will provide the Senate easy access to the many pros and cons in evaluating acceptance or rejection of the draft Amended Seed Act 2014, which was accepted by the Pakistan National Assembly, just four days prior to the new findings provided by International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), and organ of the World Health Organization (WHO).

IARC has stated that glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic to humans.” The news brief in which this statement was made by the IARC to assess the carcinogenicity of the organophosphate pesticides is of critical importance was published in the globally acclaimed medical journal The Lancet on March 20, 2015. The brief is a summary of the report that is to be published shortly as Volume 112 of the IARC Monographs.

According to IARC “Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide, currently with the highest production volumes of all herbicides. It is used in more than 750 different products for agriculture, forestry, urban, and home applications. Its use has increased sharply with the development of genetically modified glyphosate-resistant crop varieties. Glyphosate has been detected in air during spraying, in water, and in food.

Glyphosate is used in the Monsanto’s branded herbicide Roundup Ready which can be sprayed on crops that have been genetically engineered to tolerate glyphosate. In essence, Glyphosate is dangerous for human and animal health. But Monsanto is once again refusing to accept the WHO report. This has been the refrain that Monsanto has used for all scientific studies which point to the dangers of GM technologies.

For the Pakistan Senate, this news is of critical importance in deciding the fate of the Amended Seed Act 2014. For more than two decades, across the globe people’s organizations, farmers’ organizations and many credible scientists societies have been asking governments to follow the precautionary principle meaning only use a new technology when it has been proven to be safe. But gigantic corporations such as Monsanto have consistently blocked moves by governments to follow a more sustainable agriculture policy, especially policies which guard economic interests of small farmers as opposed to corporate interests.

However, to some extent genetically engineered crops and seeds and other GE products have steadily been facing mounting pressure from many sides. In this respect, one cannot forget the recent legislation passed in January 2015 in the European Union which has given its individual member countries to allow GM crop production in the country as per their own decision. This is basically due to the persistent position taken by European people in many countries especially Germany and France, that they consider GE foods and crops very harmful to human health and the environment, and did not want to be put to risk by consuming such products.

If such highly technologically advanced countries such as in the EU are opposing GE crops, is it not important for the Pakistan Senate to think about promoting such technology which could harm their own people? In Pakistan, the National Biosafety Committee is no more functional and hence there is no legal mechanism for approving new GE seeds in the country. The issue under the 18^th Amendment is now a provincial subject, but the provinces have not taken any steps to take on this responsibility. In a recent news item by DAWN it was stated that according to Mr. Asif Shuja, former director general of the Environment Protection Agency, the country does not have the expertise to conduct safe trials of GM crops.

Further, the current EPA Director General, Mr. Khurshid has termed GM crops as ‘weapons of mass destruction’. Similar statements have been made by the Foreign Office, Pakistan who believes that GM seeds are a matter of national security and trade. No doubt, this is in context to the TRIPS agreement in the World Trade Organization (WTO); an agreement which was forced on third world countries to guard the profit-driven interests of advanced industrial countries. Paramount among them was the USA who was guarding the IPR interests of its agro-chemical, seed and biotechnology firms.

In Pakistan, many non-government organizations, and mass-based farmer organizations and associations have taken a principled stand against accepting genetically engineered seeds in the country. Recently, many farmer organizations and NGOs have sent a letter to the Chairman Senate asking them to reject the proposed Seed Act 2014 and in its place enact a Bill which would protect the seed sovereignty interests of the small farmers of th country, who are no doubt the most productive force of the country. The stand is not only based on issues of environmental and health concerns that are the basis of a majority of the EU population, and the Pakistani government officials, but also lodged in the collective right of farmers on seed. This position rests on the historical collection and development of the genetic resources of millions of plant varieties abundantly present in the diverse ecosystems of the Earth by millions of small farmers across the continents through many millennia. Today, the likes of Monsanto are only able to develop their so called new seeds based on the germ-plasm collected by farmers, especially farmers of third world countries such as Pakistan. The Harapa Museum in Sahiwal is testament to the rich centuries old agrarian history of our country and the region. It is truly amazing that a seed from many thousands of years can be seen in the Museum. Given the cultural heritage of our country and our people, our farmers, why is our government allowing profit-driven seed corporations to implement new seed laws?

New technologies are only welcome if they come in the interest of the people; in the interest of our farmers; in the interest of increasing national self-reliance; in the interest of national and people’s sovereignty and indeed sustainable development. It is to be hoped that the Pakistan Senate will keep these aspirations as their guiding principal when they sit down to discuss the potential benefit or harm of the draft Amended Seed Act 2014, whos function as a legal tool is to bring prosperity to the most productive sector of the country: the small and landless farmers of Pakistan.

The writer is an activist working with small and landless farmers in the country. She holds a doctorate in Social Pharmacy from the University of Minnesota, USA.

Azra Talat Sayeed @ azra.sayeed@gmail.com

The World Health Organization’s Report says Glyphosate in Monsanto’s Roundup Ready Herbicide is Carcinogenic!

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Roots for Equity

The shocking statement from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an organ of the World Health Organization (WHO) that glysophate probably causes cancer in humans further verifies the concerns of the farmers organizations such as the Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek.

This herbicide is used in the Monsanto’s Roundup Ready which can be sprayed on genetically-engineered plants resistant to Glyphosate. This of course provides further food for thought to the Pakistan Senate as it in the process for approving the Pakistan Amended Seed Act 2014 passed by the National Assembly on March 16 last month.

There have been recent concerns raised by the Director General, Environmental Protection Agency on the safety of GM seeds and crops in the country; similar concerns have also been voiced by the Foreign Office to the Climate Change Division stating that “GM seeds can be used as biological weapon of mass destruction to destroy Pakistan’s major crops such as potatoe, wheat, rice, corn, cotton and vegetables through modified viruses, bacteria, and other parasite.”

Roots for Equity along with many other peoples’ organizations and farmers’ organizations has sent a letter to the Pakistan Senate early this month, highlighting the many political, environmental an economic issues pertaining to acceptance of genetic ally engineered seeds and crops.

The breaking news by WHO on further harm caused by the use of GE seeds and related technologies should be taken into grave consideration and help in rejecting the Amended Seed Act 2014, to be replaced by legislation which guards farmers seed sovereignty and national food sovereignty.

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(15)70134-8/fulltext

http://www.dawn.com/news/1175542/farmers-or-corporate-sovereignty

http://www.dawn.com/news/1173928/50-ngos-urge-senate-to-block-bill-on-seeds

http://www.dawn.com/news/1174415/minister-concerned-over-gm-crops-in-pakistan

http://www.dawn.com/news/1174330

http://www.dawn.com/news/1172653

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

PKMT holds a Protest on the Day of the Landless March 29, 2015

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Roots for Equity

Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek joined thousands of farmers in the Asia Pacific Region to mark March 29 as the Day of the Landless. In Pakistan, the issue is of critical importance as more and more cases of land grab are being reported by farmers across the country.

Only recently, the government officials and the police has unlawfully tried to evict farmers from nearly 2000 acres of land in Rakh Azmat Wala, an area close to Jampur, Rajanpur.

In addition, thousands of farmers in Pakistan are forced to live by river banks spread from Punjab to Sindh. Each year, they face many hardships due to rains and floods which are increasing in intensity based on climate change.

The protest was marked by slogans such as “Jagirdari Murdabad” (Down with Feudalism) and “Sarmayadari Murdabad (Down with Capitalism)”. Farmers from Rajanpur were shouting “Goli Manzoor, Jail Manzoor, Zameen per Qabza Namanzoor (We Accept Bullets, We Accept Jail, But Will Not Accept Land Grab).

Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek Solidarity Visit to Riverine Area Farmers

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Roots for Equity

Roots for Equity is working with small and landless farmers settled on river banks in Multan. In early March, heavy rains caused flooding of the rivers in Multan which led to flooding of many fields, especially those which were just next to the river bank. Many farmers lost their wheat crop completely, or partially. According to the local communities such an unexpected disaster has come after more than 5 decades.

All farmers in this village were landless. In fact they were sitting in this precarious area, just next to the river because they have not been able to find land anywhere else. Even here they had leased land just so that they could grow wheat that is a most sought after crop by all farmers across the country. What they grow they save for their household food security.Therefore, their loss is very heavy not due to the economic cost of the crop but its critical importance as a food crop.

PKMT farmers paid a solidarity visit to the riverine area farmers after hearing of the their loss. According to the PKMT farmers, the loss suffered by farmers due to unexpected rain-floods was based on the changing weather patterns due to climate change. The loss should be demanded from the government of Pakistan.

PKMT farmers visited the wheat fields many of which had suffered from the floods. The riverine area farmers explained that they had sown only indigenous seeds as part of the work initiated by Roots for Equity. In addition, farming methods were based on sustainable agriculture, using only animal dung as fertilizer and irrigation water was from the river.

According to the PKMT farmers, many of the wheat fields that were able to escape from the climate change disaster were in very good condition. The wheat grain is very big and healthy. They hope that the production will not only be very good but also yield very good quality seed for next season sowing.

A lunch was served for the visiting farmers. Farmers from the community had also arranged a musical program in honor of PKMT. The day ended in folk dance and local music and songs.

Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek Farmers Exposure Visit to Roots for Equity Multan Trial Farm, March 28-29, 2015

Posted on March 31, 2015 by Roots for Equity

Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek’s Tour of Roots for Equity’s Trial Farm, Multan

Roots for Equity has initiated a trial farm basically for multiplication of indigenous seeds, especially for grains such wheat and rice. The context is of course sustainable agriculture. Land preparation is based on the use of natural fertilizers such as green composting and animal manure. In 2014 wheat sowing season, many varieties of seeds were sown, of which some were indigenous and others that were collected from farmers in Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkwa.

Now that wheat harvest is almost ready, an exposure visit of farmers from a farmers alliance group, namely Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek was arranged. A total of 39 farmers from various districts of Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkwa and Punjab visited the trial farm. The visit was followed with an extensive discussion on the trial farm, the methods being applied at the farm for soil enrichment, sowing methods, pest management and the quality of the seeds of the almost ready to be harvested wheat.

Farmers from Badin and Rajanpur analyzing a vegetable plot

The visit to the farm and the discussion was a clear example of the rich knowledge and invaluable experience of farmers. The feedback on methods of biological control was in itself amazing. For example, Mohammad Aslam from Sahiwal told us that in order to control a particular pest, two people can stand on either side of the field holding a thread. As the thread is moved across the field, the pest (tilla) will fall on the ground, and then it will not be able to attack the seed again. Another simple mehtod was just watering the plants with water lightly; that will also get rid of the particular pest.

Checking the quality of mustard seeds!

Another farmer, Pawan Kumar from Matli, Badin shared how to make a biological pesticide from jackery (gur) and neem leaves. A farmer from Lower Dir, Bakht Zareen gave pointers for judging efficacy of animal manure, meaning what was the best time for using it as fertilizer. According to him, one should check the manure for smell – if it smells bad don’t use it. Only once the manure has matured to the extent that it does not smell and it has a fine granulated appearance it is best for use.

A Tehreek member from Lower Dir explaining differences among wheat varieties

There is no doubt that the knowledge held by farmers cannot be learned through any university teaching. Their knowledge is not only based on a life time of learning but also through the collective learning and practices of many generations.

Checking the health of vegetable seeds!