ISLAMABAD (October 29 2008): The government should make amendments in the Seed Act 2008 and Plant Breeders Right Act, putting ban on import and promotion of hazardous seeds as both these Acts are in favour corporate companies without safeguarding the interests of small farmers.
This was discussed at a seminar organised by ActionAid here on Tuesday to discuss and draft a comprehensive strategy on cotton, which is bumper crop of the country and responsible for the livelihoods of millions of farmers. People from various concerned segments of the society attended the seminar, which included farmers, civil society organisations, government officials, researchers, human rights activists and journalists.
A large number of farmers and farmers' representatives shared their concerns regarding environmental and health implications of the BT cottonseed during a consultation session. The use of modern technology has been continuing in agriculture for many decades. A few years back, the use of biotechnology and genetically modified seed introduced in agriculture, which raised serious concerns among the farmers as well as the less profit-driven circles of the society, nationally and globally.
In Pakistan the year 2007 has seen the use of GM seed and the serious hazards it brought to the cotton crop. Before 2007, very high yields of cotton were experienced, but this sudden and sharp decline was caused due to the faulty seed that was prone to viral attacks. The farmers said that they were not informed of the risks of using this seed, which destroyed the crops.
Speaking on the occasion ActionAid's Food Rights Policy Officer Shoaib Aziz said that two dozens of seeds of BT cotton had been sold at extremely high prices and the government did not intervene despite the fact that experiences of the same seeds in India and China played havoc with the cotton crop.
"Multinational companies have encroached upon the space of small farmers. The conventional methods of seed production and conservation have gradually discouraged and now farmers are had choices, but to use the seed given by the seed corporations", he added.
-- Deputy ADC of Minfal Dr Tasawar Hussain said that the farmers used the seed even though the government had not approved it. Terming the biotechnology controversial and against the benefits of the small farmers, ActionAid's Aftab Alam suggested the following three elements would be considered while introducing a new technology.
-- The control of technology should remain with the responsible people, who can protect the interest of the people rather than working for profits yielding.
-- The beneficiaries should always be the poor people and in this case small farmers.
-- While introducing the new technologies, it should be well assessed for its side effects.
"In the backdrop of the current food crisis and to contain the market forces from encroaching into the spaces of small farmers, the government must come forward and reinvest in agriculture as well as bring regulatory mechanism in place", he said. Project Director of NIGAB-NARC Dr Yousaf Zafar pointed out that the agriculture department had done research on BT cottonseed and would soon develop an indigenous variety, which would better suit the local climatic conditions.
Source by: Business recorder |
