AIKS demands price control mechanism in Seed Bill

Vijayawada, June 23 (UNI) The All India Kishan Sabha (AIKS) today demanded that the Centre include a price control mechanism in the Seed Bill, to be taken up by the Centre in the coming Parliament session.

Addressing a press conference here, AIKS Vice-President Kolli Nageswara Rao said the bill introduced by the UPA government in the Rajya Sabha in 2004 was the same as that introduced by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in 2001, without price control.

''The Seed Bill should be coordinated with the protection of plant varieties and Farmers Rights Act (PPVFR) 2001 and the Bio-diversity Act, 2002. The rights and protections granted to farmers under the PPVFR should not be diluted in the bill,''he said.

He alleged that traders were exploiting farmers through spurious seeds and charging at exorbitant prices. They should be punished by imposing a fine of Rs One lakh or one year imprisonment.

Mr Rao said the recent example was Monsanto and Mahyco, which he alleged had exploited farmers by selling Bt cotton seeds at the rate of Rs 1800 for a packet in 2004 and Rs 1850 in 2005. The rate should have been Rs 600. To check this exploitation, as there was no price regulation provision, the Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sangham (APRS) had complained to the MRTPC.

He blamed the Centre for asking farmers to get compensation through the consumer courts for loss of crop due to fake seeds.

This would take a long time and was expensive too, to farmers who had already invested in the crops. It was only be a penalty, he said, adding, the responsibility should be entrusted to the Compensation Committee of the state government.

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