Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced new legislation for seeds and pesticides to replace outdated 1966 Acts. Following farmer demands, the new laws will include stringent penalties to combat fake and substandard products.
New Legislation for Seeds and Pesticides
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday said there is a need of new legislation concerning seeds and pesticides and wide consultations are being held for the purpose. Chouhan said that during the 'Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan', farmers suggested and demanded a revision of the Seed Act and the Pesticide Act. “These Acts were originally enacted in 1966, and circumstances have changed significantly since then; there is a clear need for new legislation in both areas, especially given the major issues surrounding substandard seeds and pesticides. We began considering this matter seriously some time ago. When we invited suggestions, we received approximately 18,000 inputs from farmers and farmers' organizations,” he said.
“ We have now initiated a fresh round of consultations because any step taken must be well-considered and deeply analyzed. Today, we held discussions with about 20 farmers' organizations, and they shared their suggestions. This process of discussion and gathering feedback will continue. We welcome suggestions from any farmers' organization or individual farmer. After thoroughly and deeply considering all these inputs in the interest of our farmers and the agricultural sector, the draft of the Act will be finalized," he added.
New Seed Act to Protect Farmers
Chouhan held high-level consultation with senior leaders of major farmer organisations from across the country today. The government is preparing to introduce a new and stringent Seed Act aimed at protecting the country’s farmers from the losses caused by fake and substandard seeds. The proposed legislation is part of the government’s efforts to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a prosperous and self-reliant farming community. The consultation, convened by Chouhan, was aimed at incorporating farmers’ ground-level experiences, suggestions and concerns directly into the draft seed legislation. The government intends to build a robust and effective regulatory framework to curb the activities of seed mafias and protect farmers from fraudulent and poor-quality seeds, a release said.
Stringent Penalties and Safeguards
The proposed new Seed Act is expected to provide for stringent legal action against companies and traders involved in the sale of fake, adulterated or substandard seeds, including heavy penalties and imprisonment. Poor-quality seeds can wipe out months of a farmer’s hard-earned income and years of effort and labour. The government’s stated position is that the new law must ensure the highest standards of seed quality and a transparent, end-to-end traceability system, while also safeguarding farmers’ rights over traditional seeds, the release said. (ANI)
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