Protect right over seed varieties

WE are not much astonished by the information that the Ministry of Agriculture let the private seed producers rule over the seed production limiting the production capacity of the state-owned Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC). Granting private sectors to dominate seed production not only helps those to be boosted up but also endangers the country’s seed varieties, and thus food security also. It is hard to believe the Ministry’s high-ups are permitting the private seed producers to rule the market without any hint of corruption. A National English daily on Thursday disclosed the illicit alliance among the trio-the Ministry, BADC, and private seed producers.In a report, the daily said BADC produces 13 percent of the country’s seed requirement while it already holds the capacity to meet 23 percent of demand and it could achieve up to 80 percent, the shortfall exists apparently to create an opportunity for the private companies and importers to play increasing role in the seed market. BADC officials blamed ‘controlled seed production policy’ of the Seed Wing of Agricultural Ministry for crippling the public sector seed producers. Anwar Faruque, Seed Wing Director General of Agricultural Ministry, has found no irregularity in the ‘policy’, saying that BADC should think about the growth of private seed companies and he marked the production enough for BADC-seriously making us worried about the control over the country’s seed bank.BADC produces 142,656 tonnes of various seeds, which is 13 percent of the total demand, out of an estimated 1,091,393 tonnes though BADC has the capacity to produce more seeds while around 37 percent of the seed market is fed by private companies. Around 50 percent of the country’s seed requirement is met by the farmers themselves who produce safe seeds, according to BADC. BADC assigned at least 255 joint directors, deputy directors and senior assistant directors to produce seeds on its 17,146.2 acres of dedicated land. Besides, 72,031 contract seed growers of BADC across the country also produce seeds. BADC also produces wheat, maize, potato, pulse, edible oil, jute, vegetables and spice seeds in small quantities each year, though the private sector produced and sold 80 to 100 percent, revealed records of Agriculture Ministry for the years 2008 to 2013. Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) and Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture breed quality seeds of vegetables as per Seed Wing’s policy. BADC avoids producing them commercially only to encourage private companies to market less quality seeds, a BARI researcher said.In line with agriculturalists, we urge the government to properly monitor the BADC and the Seed Wing to check their corruption and mismanagement. We are worried that if the private sector rules the seed production, it will easily control the country’s food security and economy at large. We have to pay enormously if our control over seed production is lost, though having all capacity, due to government’s negligence and lack of its policies for self-reliance. We think the government should encourage the farmers to be self-reliant on seed production to ensure the diversity of crops and vegetables, thus helping to combat against a food crisis and establish sovereignty on our food.