Centre’s New Seed Bill Favours Companies, Hurts Farmers: Gangadhar

NIZAMABAD: Telangana State Farmers Commission member Gadugu Gangadhar said the Central government has released the draft of the new Seed Bill and invited public feedback until December 11. He said that though the Centre claims the Bill aims to ensure access to quality seeds for farmers, it is, in reality, designed to benefit seed companies while severely harming farmers, who are the backbone of the nation.

Gangadhar said restricting the powers of the states and reducing their role to merely supervising implementation goes against the spirit of federalism and obstructs farmer welfare. Except in emergency situations, governments will no longer have the authority to regulate seed prices, he pointed out. He recalled that in undivided Andhra Pradesh, the then Congress government had enacted a cotton seed law to control prices, but such powers would now be abolished.

He added that all crucial functions, including seed registration, licensing of seed companies, and regulation, would rest entirely with the Central government. The draft Bill, he said, also lacks provisions to compensate farmers who suffer losses due to fake or low-quality seeds.