Seeds traders and breeders have urged the government to make the proposed Seed Act 2013 simple to ensure rational participation of both the public and private sectors to increase production through using quality seeds.
The act would cover a range of reforms, such as simplifying registration of seed varieties and seed dealers, upgrading regulations for seed quality and strengthening the seed inspection process.
A draft of the law has already been prepared and would now go through a technical committee for necessary correction.
Stakeholders made the appeal at a workshop titled “Seed sector in Bangladesh: Growth through Regulatory Reform” held in Dhaka on Saturday, organised by the seed wing of agriculture ministry in association with Bangladesh Investment Climate Fund (BICF).
Seed trades transformed into business and to maintain the growth, latest technologies should be introduced while concentrating on innovation, Agriculture Secretary SM Nazmul Islam told the meeting.
He said the main challenge is reducing trend of cropland while the population is increasing fast. “We have to go on vertical expansion through newly developed seeds.”
Anwar Faruque, director of the seed wing, chaired the workshop. He said the new seed act will emphasise on modification of Seed Ordinance-1977.
Opinion and suggestions from the public sector, private sector, experts, students, and researchers will be taken into consideration before enactment of the act, he said.
FH Ansary, executive director of ACI, presented a paper and said the private sector share in rice seed business is now 16% while the hybrid seed is being dominated by the private sector with nearly 90% stake.
The paper appreciated the move of the government to enact the seed act, but sought more relaxation for the private sector which could contribute to the growth of the sector.
At the open discussion, chief scientific officer of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) Dr Md Anser Ali pointed out that if the seed act imposes rule and regulation over small nurseries at household levels, which contributes 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 scale farmers supply seedlings to other farmers and help keep the production sound. If they have to face registration hassle, it could affect seed supply in the crisis period,” he said.
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 and BICF Programme Manager M Masrur Reaz, among others, took part in the discussion.
