Activate SAARC Seed Bank | Ensure Farmers Rights

The SAARC Seed Bank Agreement has

been signed by the South Asian leaders
in 2011 with a view of ensuring food
security in SAARC countries through
enhancing seed replacement with
appropriate varieties, addressing seed
shortage in the region and acting as a
seed storage for member countries. The
policymakers pledged several times to
activate Seed Bank in short. But after 4
years of the agreement, the Seed Bank
is yet to be established.
The Agreement recognises the local and
indigenous procedures and varieties of
seeds, but doesn't pledged to protect
them in this global intellectual property
regime which has been expanding to
affect traditional
ditional seed systems and limit
farmers rights to
o save, use, exchange
and sell seeds. Besides, there is no
mechanism
of
recognition
and
procedure to conserve, collect or
transfer these indigenous varieties.
The Seed Bank Board has 11 members.
Among them only 1 Farmer can be
participate from a member country
untry by
rotation. But the private sector is to get
2 members in the board. Till the date,
only SAARC Seed Forum, which is a
forum of corporate seed companies,
has access in the Board. Moreover,
there
here is no mechanism to select a real
farmer from country level.
vel. So, there lies
a doubt of political and corporate
dominations in selection of the farmer
representative from respective country.
There is a serious lack of transperancy
in the Seed Bank mechanism.
Information of only Indian national
designated authority is open for all.
People are in dark about national
mechanisms of all other countries. Only

the corporate companies will be benefited by such lack of

transperancy and accountability.
The agreement calls for maintaining quality standard of seeds
under the Seed Bank system but under
u
what terms and
conditions of quality standards the farmers varieties will be
included within the Seed Bank system is yet to be clear. So, it
remains
a
major
constraint for local and


poor farmers.
Activate SAARC Seed Bank
There are provisions for
immediately


the withdrawal, release
Ensure rights of farmers to
and replenishment of
seeds. But how countryconserve, use, share and sell local
specific situation would
and indigenous seeds
be considered is critical to


addressing the issue of
Stop corporate companies from
fair pricing and adequate
using indigenous seeds without
supply of seeds is not free and prior informed consent of
clear.
the farmers


There is no reflection of
UNCBD and UNDRIP in Involve at least 1 real farmer from
the
Seed
Bank
each of the
t member countries in
Agreement. There should
SAARC Seed Bank Board
be a balance between


WTO TRIPs and CBD in
Engage 1 civil society member in
the Agreement to protect
the allocated private sector
the rights of indigenous
representatives in the Seed Bank
and local farmers on the
Board
genetic resources.


Most of the seed Define standard of local seeds and
demands of farmers in
ensure profitable
p
price for the
South Asia are still being
farmers.
met
through
local


exchange. Such exchange
Recognize the farmers on farm
and use system still researches and allocate resources to
contributes 70%90% to
help local and indigenous
total seed supply. But
producers of local seeds.
those are not recognized
under the Materials Transfer
sfer Agreement under the Agreement.
So, we are in anxiety that the Seed Bank is going to a paper
tiger like SAARC Food Bank!

Raise your Voice for Farmers Rights | Ensure Food Security in SAARC Region!

KKM
Food Security Network of Bangladesh

Kendrio Krishak Moitree

CONTACT: nurulalam.masud@gmail.com,
nurulalam.masud@gmail.com mehedi.coastline@gmail.com and unayan_dhara@yahoo.com