Media Statement 19 December 2024
- We, the farmers’ organizations and civil society groups below, urge the government to stop the process of tabling the Plant Seed Quality Bill in the Parliament, following the absence of a transparent process and comprehensive consultation with all interest groups, particularly small and medium scale farmers and non-governmental organizations working on agriculture and environment issues.
- The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security of Malaysia through a question and answer session in the special chamber of Parliament on 18 November 2024 stated that the Department of Agriculture has conducted a series of briefings and has carried out a Regulatory Impact Analysis with regards to the Plant Seed Quality Bill where every individual who processes and distributes seeds will be required to apply for a licence. According to the Minister, the Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) for the Plant Seed Quality Bill was released by the Malaysian Productivity Corporation (MPC) on 22 June 2018.
- We would like to emphasize that this regulatory impact analysis was issued without complying with the established process for RIS. The first consultation with some of us was conducted in 2019. As far as we know, there was no consultation with farmers and the public before the RIS was released in 2018. The said RIS process was conducted in an irregular manner and is thus unreliable to support any introduction of the Bill. In fact, the drafting of the proposed Plant Quality Seed Bill was only announced by the Secretary- General of the Ministry of Agriculture on 16 September 2018. We found that certain groups of farmers were not even consulted at all. How can the RIS be completed before public notification was made? Therefore, proper impact assessment of the proposed new law must be carried out.
- Since the announcement of this proposed Bill, FKMM (Malaysia Food Security & Sovereignty Forum) has met Department of Agriculture officers three times – once in 2019 and twice in 2024. We had requested for the meeting in 2019 whilst we received an invitation from a third party for the session in 2024. The Department of Agriculture itself did not take any effort to hold a consultation session with us. In the first meeting of FKMM with the Department of Agriculture in 2019, we were provided some details of the Bill but were not allowed to see the text of the Bill. The information provided to us then raised very serious concerns because we were told that every individual who processes, distributes, shares and sells plant seeds is required have a licence. As such, a sample of the plant seed concerned must be sent to a laboratory for testing and the offence of not having a licence is a fine of up to RM100,000 to RM200,000 and three (3) years imprisonment.
- In 2024, our representatives attended two more consultation sessions. These sessions were too general and did not provide details of the Bill, such as impact on the practice of sharing and selling seeds on a small scale, requirement to send seeds to the laboratory for testing, as well as details of fines or punishment imposed on those who do not have a licence.
- The objective of this Bill to prevent seed buyers from being deceived is welcomed. However, requiring licensing and notification to the Department of Agriculture by all individuals who store and distribute seeds including small farmers, is an excessive act and will only strengthen the monopoly of seed companies. The traditional practices of small farmers in saving, sharing, and selling seeds on a small scale to family members and friends are very important for agrobiodiversity and livelihood of farmers. We believe that the objectives of the Bill can be achieved through existing laws, and must include consultation with farmers and the public.
- We would like to stress some of the main concerns that have been voiced by farmers and many civil society groups regarding this proposed Plant Seed Quality Bill:
- Restricts the traditional rights of farmers to freely share and sell seeds among family, friends, and the public, because licensing is a form of government control and conflicts with Farmers’ Rights under international law.
- Possible increase in cost to farmers for licence fees and laboratory tests in the future. Although at present the laboratory tests may be free of charge in a government-owned laboratory, payment will definitely be imposed in the future by the government or private laboratories when the number of samples increases.
- Increased monopoly of companies because companies are more capable to cover related licensing and management costs, rather than individuals.
- Negative effects on agrobiodiversity because through licensing, the more popular or profitable commercial seeds will be prioritised.
- Exorbitant fine and prison sentence imposed on farmers and the public, as if they had committed a serious offence – this contradicts Farmers’ Rights under international law.
- Therefore, we strongly urge the government to stop tabling this Bill in Parliament and to conduct transparent and comprehensive consultation sessions with farmers and other interest groups. Transparency and the involvement of all parties in this process is important to ensure justice to all parties including farmers and the general public who will be affected by the Plant Seed Quality Act.
STATEMENT SUPPORTED BY
| A Little Wild Farm |
| Agora Society Malaysia 群议社 |
| Al Ard Green Farm |
| ALAM Selangor |
| Aliran Kesedaran Negara (Aliran) 国民醒觉运动 |
| Aman D Kebun |
| ANSARA Balik Pulau |
| ARL Environment |
| Ayam Lepas Lenggeng (Lepas Bebas Enterprise) |
| Blue Oasis (M) Sdn Bhd |
| Borneo Komrad |
| Borneo Natural Farm |
| Cahaya Nursery |
| Carbon Xchange (Sarawak) Sdn. Bhd. |
| Centre for Environment, Technology and Development, Malaysia (CETDEM) |
| Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) 槟城消费人协会 |
| Consumer Choice Center |
| Coral Triangle Initiative Women Leaders Forum |
| Ctmai Nursery |
| Diribumi Ecological Services |
| Ecocentric Transitions |
| Ecopro Training Centre |
| EES Biotech Sdn Bhd |
| Ekar Lui Enterprise |
| Forum Kedaulatan Makanan Malaysia (FKMM) 马来西亚粮食主权论坛 |
| Gabungan Pertubuhan-Pertubuhan Masyarakat Sivil Malaysia bagi Proses Semakan Berkala Sejagat (MACSA) |
| GRASS Malaysia马来西亚环境繁茂组织 |
| Greenpeace Malaysia 大马绿色和平 |
| Guar Perahu Herbal Valley |
| Guardians of Nature’s Retreat |
| HuTani Services |
| IGROBIZ Enterprise |
| Institut Masa Depan Malaysia (MASA) |
| Jaringan Ekologi Dan Iklim (JEDI) |
| Jerami Utara Center Enterprise |
| Jinko Vanilla Agroforestry Farm |
| Justlife Group Sdn Bhd |
| Jungle School Gombak Malaysia |
| KAMi |
| Kebun Komuniti Janda Baik |
| Kebun Rakyat Tangkak |
| kebunbandar.com |
| Kebunsua |
| Klima Action Malaysia (KAMY) 马来西亚气候行动 |
| Kokoriu |
| Komuniti AgroMadani |
| Komuniti OA Bukit Lagong |
| Komuniti Pondok Sukun (KOMPOS) |
| Komuniti Taman Sri Bidor KRT |
| Koperasi Agro Organik Johor Bhd |
| Koperasi Pekerja Justlife Selangor Berhad |
| Koperasi Kongsi Selangor Berhad (Kongsi Koop) |
| Koperasi Petani Pulau Pinang Berhad |
| Kuching Jadam Group |
| Kuching Seed Swap |
| Laman Organik Firdaus |
| Liga Rakyat Demokratik |
| LR Worldwide |
| Majlis Tindakan Ekonomi Melayu (MTEM) |
| Malaysia Demeter Association |
| MY Tropical Services |
| Natsac enterprise |
| Nature Resource Solutions |
| Parti Sosialis Malaysia 马来西亚社会主义党 |
| Persatuan Agroekologi Malaysia (SRI-Mas) 大马生态农业协会 |
| Persatuan Aktivis Sahabat Alam (KUASA) 自然之友协会 |
| Persatuan Go Go Green |
| Persatuan Pekebun Sayur Pulau Pinang |
| Persatuan Pemeliharaan dan Pemuliharaan Alam Sekitar Sarawak (PELIHARA) |
| Persatuan Penanam Buluh Sarawak |
| Persatuan Permakultur Malaysia |
| Persekutuan Persatuan-Persatuan Pekebun-Pekebun Sayur-Sayuran Malaysia 大马菜农总会 |
| Pertubuhan Ilmu Generasi Aspirasi |
| Pertubuhan Pembangunan Antarabangsa dan Penyelidikan Untuk Kelestarian (IDRIS) 伊德里斯协会 |
| Pertubuhan Pencinta Eco Alam Malaysia |
| Pertubuhan Penggerak Komuniti Kg. Tampasak, Penampang |
| Pertubuhan Penggerak Masyarakat Malaysia (Penggerak Malaysia) |
| Pertubuhan Persaudaraan Pesawah Malaysia (PeSAWAH) 马来西亚稻农协会 |
| Pertubuhan Rangkaian Pembangunan Kesinambungan Malaysia (SUSDEN Malaysia) 大马可持续发展网络 |
| Plants for Plastic |
| Pmu Cerondah |
| Pusat Penyelidikan & Advokasi Hak Asasi Manusia (CENTHRA) |
| Quin Terra PLT |
| Rakan Membangun Masyarakat |
| Rasa Sayang Permaculture Estate |
| Rasamasa MY |
| Raw Nature Sdn Bhd |
| Rumah Dusun Mamaya |
| Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) 大马自然之友 |
| Sahabat Ekologi Perak |
| Salloma Nursery & Landscape Sdn Bhd |
| Soilogy |
| Syarikat Followliu Maju |
| Save Malaysia Stop Lynas |
| Taman Sara Resources |
| Terrajiwa Enterprise |
| The Hope Village |
| The International Women’s Alliance for Family Institution and Quality Education (WAFIQ) |
| The Reading Room & Cafe |
| Third World Network (TWN) 第三世界网络 |
| Ubi organisation |
| UMANY 马大新青年 |
| Urban Hijau |
| Venture Agro |
| Warisan Agro Supplies |
| WAU Farm |
Contact details:
Nurfitri Amir Muhammad (Chief Coordinator)
foodsovereignty.malaysia@gmail.com