October 27, 2010

India to formulate new seed bill soon

The Indian government is likely to introduce a National Seed Bill, which proposes raising penalties for offences such as selling fake seeds, in the upcoming session of parliament.

"The proposed bill is likely to be introduced in the parliament during the upcoming winter session," said Food and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar.

He said that the bill would be instrumental in safeguarding the interests of farmers, and that need for the bill has been felt for the last few years.

The Union Cabinet had recently approved moving more amendments to the Seeds Bill, 2004. The additional amendments require report submission by seed companies to state governments periodically and enhancement of penalties for offences, it added.

Earlier in March, the Cabinet had approved the Seeds Bill, 2004 that seeks to regulate the quality of hybrid seeds and check the sale of spurious seeds in the country, besides increasing private participation in seed production and distribution.

The bill seeks to repeal and replace existing Seeds Act, 1966, for it does not deal with the quality control of genetically modified seeds, as they are generally not notified.