Seeds bill could undermine sovereign rights of farmers: Advocacy group

BBSM raises concerns over Draft Seeds Bill 2025, warning it may impact farmers' seed rights and biodiversity, while experts seek a permanent ban on paraquat

Bharat Beej Swaraj Manch (BBSM), a seed sovereignty advocacy platform, criticised the proposed Draft Seeds Bill, 2025 on the grounds that it could undermine farmers' rights and India's agrobiodiversity, particularly traditional seed varieties or "landraces".

 

In a recent press briefing, the advocacy group said that the Draft Seeds Bill, which is currently under pre-legislative consultation, does not extend Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability (DUS) testing requirements to traditional varieties. Speakers noted that the certification system might be flawed.

 

The DUS test, designed in 1961 for genetically fixed breeder varieties, treats natural genetic diversity as a defect rather than a strength.

   

The group urged Parliament to mandate specific amendments such as recognising "population-range characterisation" as an alternative to fixed DUS criteria, setting contamination and diversity tolerance as two separate standards, and ensuring a custodian community's right to consent and recall before the formal release of its material.

 

It also expressed concerns over international trade commitments, specifically pointing to the intellectual property (IP) provisions in the EU-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

 

The speakers warned that the agreement could pressure India towards rigid plant variety standards, narrowing domestic farmers' rights.

 

"There are reports which indicate that a majority of the farmers still use local varieties. Only 30 per cent use private company seeds. This Bill could further strengthen the privatisation of seeds through registration and certification processes," said Afsar Jafri of the research group GRAIN (an international non-profit organisation that supports small farmers and social movements), responding to a question on the Bill's impact on the seed sector. 

Expert groups seek permanent ban on paraquat

 

In a similar development, the Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA-Kisan Swaraj), a volunteer-driven Indian network of groups and individuals, along with 270 medical doctors, academics, etc., has written a letter to the Union agriculture ministry urging it to permanently ban paraquat dichloride under the Insecticides Act. The Centre, a few days ago, proposed banning the plant protection chemical, which is widely used in paddy and maize crops, and gave all stakeholders 30 days to respond to the draft notification. The signatories to the letter said that paraquat is one of the most hazardous herbicides in the world. Even small quantities can be fatal if ingested, and there is no known antidote for paraquat poisoning. The risks associated with its handling and application also expose farm workers to serious occupational hazards. Paraquat has been linked to thousands of deaths in India. It has also not been allowed for use in over 70 countries worldwide. In addition to its acute toxicity, growing scientific evidence has associated paraquat exposure with long-term adverse health effects, including an increased risk of Parkinson's disease and other neurological disorders.