Proposed seed act to 'ensure increased production'

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FE Report The government is going to formulate Seed Act-2013 ensuring rational participation of both public and private sectors for increasing production through using quality seeds, officials at a workshop said Saturday. The proposed Seed Act-2013 will incorporate issues such as penalty for adulterated seed trading, compensation to the farmers if a particular seed fails to provide expected yield of crops, development and marketing of seed, its import-export criteria etc. It was disclosed at a workshop styled "Seed Sector in Bangladesh: Growth through Regulatory Reform" held at a city hotel, organised by the seed wing of agriculture ministry with support of the Bangladesh Investment Climate Fund (BICF). The agriculture ministry secretary SM Nazmul Islam while speaking as chief guest said that the challenging task for the country's agriculture sector is---fall in cropland with increasing number of people. "So, it is a must to face challenge to ensure quality seed that can give expected level of crops," he said. The seed wing director general Anwar Faruque chaired the programme. He said the new seed act will modify Seed Ordinance-1977. The new seed act will ensure rational participation of the private and public sectors for the betterment of quality and diversified seed supply. "Opinion and suggestions from the public and private sectors, experts, students and researchers will be taken before enactment of the law," he said. Agriculturists, scientists, seed technologists, private seed businesses, Bangladesh Seed Association (BSA) representatives took part in the workshop. A total of three papers on proposed seed act were presented at the workshop. FH Ansary, Executive director of ACI presented a paper which said the private sector's share in rice seed business is now 16 per cent while hybrid seed is dominating it. It is nearly 90 per cent, the paper noted. The paper said strict rules and regulation on the private seed businesses for importing, developing and marketing seed varieties are hampering the growth of the sector. "The people can now test vegetables around the year thanks to the initiative of the private sector. The future seed business will be driven by the private sector, so the new seed act should be more private sectors friendly," the paper said. Director of Seed Certification Agency (SCA) A H Iqbal Ahmed presented a paper that focused few key points of the draft law. It appreciated the clause on the farmers' compensation if they don't get expected crops from a registered seed marketed by private or public sector. The paper also showed that the draft law has proposed to bring all nurseries under registration to ensure supply of quality seed and plant for the people. The paper also pointed out that the punishment of adulterated seed businesses is very negligible. "The draft law has proposed highest 30 days imprisonment and Tk 30,000 penalty for the traders involved in marketing of adulterated seeds," the paper said. "The proposed Seed Act-2013 for seed sector growth in Bangladesh" was another paper presented by Prof Shahidur Rashid Bhuiyan, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University and president of Plant Breeding and Genetics Society of Bangladesh (PBGSB). The paper found few anomalies in respect of the use of few 'Bangla words and sentences' which should be modified. Dr Bhuiyan also demanded participation of PBGSB at the technical board which will be formed under the new Seed Act. Chief scientific officer of the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) Dr Md Anser Ali pointed out that if the proposed seed act imposes restrictions on small nurseries at household levels which contribute a lot to the supply chain of seed and plant during natural calamity, it would affect the farmers. "When seed beds and seedlings are affected by flood, thousands of small farmers supply seedlings to other growers and maintain production. If they have to face registration hassle, it could affect seed supply in crisis period," he said. Replying to it, the seed wing head Anwar Faruqe said the marginal farmers who sell and market seedlings at village level can continue their efforts under the law. Kamal Uddin, director general of Bangladesh Jute research Institute (BJRI), Rafiqul Islam Mondal, director general of BRRI, BSA president M Anis Ud Doula, BSA secretary Syed AKM Asadul Amin Dadon, BICF programme manager M Masrur Reaz, among others, also spoke on the occasion.