Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Sonia’s root concerns stay in new Seeds Bill by Ravish Tiwari and DK Singh

Sonia’s root concerns stay in new Seeds Bill by Ravish Tiwari and DK Singh

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Jul 30, 2010   modified Modified on Jul 30, 2010


About five years after Sonia Gandhi raised a red flag on the Seeds Bill, 2004, on the grounds of “a growing perception” that it was “anti-farmer”, the Agriculture Ministry is preparing to introduce an amended version in the current session of Parliament.

However, the Seeds Bill, 2010, reportedly also falls short of Congress’ expectations, and it has joined the Left and farmers’ organisations in demanding more changes in it.

Leading the opposition is the Congress regime in Andhra Pradesh. Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar planned to bring the amended Bill in the last session of Parliament, but the move was scuttled after Andhra Congress leaders met PM Manmohan Singh and Sonia to press for more changes in the Bill.

At a meeting convened by Pawar to evolve consensus on the proposed Bill on Wednesday, Andhra Agriculture Minister N Raghuveera Reddy, accompanied by many Congress MPs, demanded setting up of a regulator “to fix prices and royalty, taking into account intellectual property rights”.

“You cannot have a free market situation without a regulator,” Reddy said after the meeting, which was also attended by agriculture scientist M S Swaminathan and CPI leader D Raja, among others.

Pawar was said to be inclined to accommodate most of the demands, but the crucial issue of seed price regulation and penalty provision against “offences” by companies remained contentious. Pawar asserted pricing should be determined by “market forces”, and that it would be “difficult to ensure price control”.

While Pawar has been pushing the Seeds Bill since 2004, the Congress has always had reservations about it. In an October 2005 letter, Sonia — in her capacity as NAC chairperson — had suggested several changes. “There is a growing perception that the Seeds Bill, 2004 is anti-farmer and that it favours the seed industry and large seed breeders, including MNCs,” she had stated. (In the Bill) Government has no mechanism to control prices... Seed suppliers are under no obligation to ensure reasonable seed supply to farmers.”


The Indian Express, 29 July, 2010, http://www.indianexpress.com/news/sonias-root-concerns-stay-in-new-seeds-bill/653252/
 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close