By Shahidul Islam from Rajshahi
Seed is the heart of agriculture. Before the advent of modern energy intensive agriculture farmers conserve seeds and exchange seeds with their neighboring farmers. But the modern agriculture has snatched the seed rights of the farmers and has been doing seed business where farmers have to buy seeds and other agriculture materials to them. This way, farmers have been sidelined from the agriculture losing rights on seeds and agriculture. Therefore, it is an urgent need to stop seed imperialism. There is a need to increase farmers’ own seed production and improvement, conservation and exchange of seeds. At the same time it is also important to recognize farmers’ knowledge and innovation.
The most important thing for farmers in crop production is seed. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy in Bangladesh. But day by day the farmers are losing control on agriculture. The seed rights of farmers is at stake as well as companies have captured the agricultural related materials introducing their high yielding and hybrid seeds to farmers. Today most of the farmers do not have seeds. The possession of that seed is now in the hands of multinational companies. Once there was a variety of crops in the villages, but it has decreased day by day. In the name of food security, local varieties of seeds are being lost day by day. Hybrid and genetically engineered seeds are dominating the space. And all these hybrid seeds or genetically developed seeds are never reproduced by farmers. Every year the farmers thus have to buy seeds from the companies. Companies are quietly establishing seed imperialism by occupying the monopolistic market of grain seeds. In this way, the farmer-controlled agricultural system is collapsing day by day. They often have to buy one kilogram of seeds after selling a single crop or paddy. Therefore, the farmers demand that the government should take steps for the protection and development of local varieties of seeds which will assist the farmers to establish their seed sovereignty. Besides, farmers’ innovation and knowledge skills should be recognized.
However, on the occasion of “Building seed sovereignty by protecting native seeds, standing against seed imperialism”, a local variety seedling and seed exchange fair was held recently at Dadpur village of Paba upazila, known as Vegetable Bank of Rajshahi. The event was organized by Dadpur Women’s Development Organization and BARCIK. The local farmers displayed the seeds of local varieties grown by them in the seed fair and at the same time exchanged seeds and seedlings with each other. About 50 farmers participated with agricultural seeds fair.
A total of 160 varieties of local crop seeds were displayed in the seed fair. Farmers and teachers and students from the surrounding villages also participated in the seed fair. However, participating in the seed fair Krishani Motijan Bibi said, “Earlier we had many seeds, there were many varieties, but we have lost the indigenous varieties due to the cultivation of hybrid varieties for several years. But after a long time I realized that we have cheated ourselves by losing the seeds of vegetables, rice and other crops. She went on saying, “Now there is no other option but to buy seeds. No matter the price, the seeds have to be bought. She demanded, “Government initiatives should be taken to protect and develop our local seeds. So that we can conserve and collect seeds from our crops.”
Md. Shahidul Islam, researcher and regional coordinator of BARCIK, conducted the seed fair and read the concept paper. He said, “Every year farmers are buying seeds, the price has also increased a lot. If the control of the seeds is not in the hands of the farmers, the multinational companies will hold the farmers of Bangladesh hostage. He also said, “Seed sovereignty is the right of a farmer to produce, save, use, exchange and sell seeds by themselves. But the farmers are deprived of that right day by day. The government is not giving any recognition to the new varieties that the farmers are inventing in the villages. They are being blocked suggesting that these seeds are not scientifically developed!”
Translated by Silvanus Lamin
