Farmers will have no choice
A new seed policy is on the anvil in Brazil. Why is it controversial?
Farming communities and non-governmental organisations (ngos) working closely with farmers in Brazil are worried about the set of new seed laws the government is considering. The bill (Production, Marketing and Control of Seeds), proposed about two years ago and still before the Brazilian Congress, will change the existing seed registration in the country. The bill has two major thrusts. One, it privatises the seed certification process. At present, the government certifies seeds and maintains a registry. Besides, only seeds sold by commercial seed companies require certification.
The other aspect is the way it defines seeds. It changes the focus of the 1977 seed law (Inspection and Control Over the Production and Marketing of Seeds and Seedlings) in the country. All seeds, even those in the hands of farmers, will require certification, if farmers intend to exchange or sell seeds. Essentially, this means that no one can sell seeds that are not registered in the ministry of agriculture and so meets certain criteria: distinct (from similar varieties), uniform (in grain size), stable (same yield over a number of cropping seasons) and have a name (a brand name, for example). This makes it difficult for farmers' varieties to be sold, exchanged or exported as a seed in the formal market.
Farmers and ngos say the
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