BRS Warns Centre’s Proposed Seeds Bill Will Rob, States, Farmers of Their Rights

Hyderabad: The BRS on Thursday warned all states that the Centre, through the Seeds Bill it had introduced in Parliament, was seeking to take over all matters related to seeds. BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao, in a statement, said the proposed legislation placed the interests of corporate companies above those of farmers, removed the role of states in the matter of seeds. The move by the Centre must be stopped immediately, he said.

The Centre, he said, should move forward on the Bill only after detailed discussions with farmer organisations, seed experts, agricultural experts, and political parties.

The BRS strongly opposed the draft Seeds Bill as it would cause serious damage to farmers, lacks clarity on measures to curb spurious seeds with no guarantees of timely compensation for farmers who suffer losses because of fake seeds, Rama Rao said.

“The Bill contains provisions that will allow corporate companies to influence seed pricing, and that the authority previously given to state governments to regulate seed prices will be lost,” Rama Rao said. The Bill also fails to hold companies accountable for production of spurious seeds, placing the responsibility only on sellers and the supply chain.

The BRS, Rama Rao said, had proposed amendments that would ensure seed sovereignty, domestic biosafety, and the need to avoid giving dominance to the Centre over state subjects. The BRS would organise a round-table meeting under the leadership of former agriculture minister S. Niranjan Reddy and MP B. Vinod Kumar to prepare additional suggestions for the Centre on this matter, he said.