Debate over Plant Seeds Bill impending: Local farmers face seed sharing ban

KUCHING: If passed in Parliament, the Plant Seeds Quality Bill which will be debated will have repercussions, particularly in the context of Sarawak farmers as it places restrictions and bans the sharing of seeds.

If the Bill is passed, it will render the sharing of seeds among local farmers illegal which goes against the traditional practice of rice planting.

The Bill, which is aimed at controlling seed production, will be debated before it is passed. It is pertinent to note that it should not be passed as there could be more harm or disadvantages than benefits which might adversely affect the livelihood of the local farmers and also cause  inflation.

The Bill, called the Padi and Vegetable Seeds Bill, primarily seeks to control the import of seeds with the objective of:

(1) Controlling seed production,
(2) Certification of seed, and
(3) Distribution of crop seed in Malaysia, and to regulate seed production in the country.

It aims to regulate import permits with the Phytosanitary certificate. This will include the price of the production field in which vegetable seeds are produced.

This also includes import permits issued by the Department of Agriculture Malaysia which encompasses:

1. The origin of the seed.
2. The disease and pest
3. Treatment required by the Malaysian Government
4. Purity of the seed (free from weed seeds detrimental to production).

Sarawak businessman and agriculture scientist, Yong Hua Ying, whose company Maxigrow is a Sarawak company and the main importer of seeds in Sarawak, explained the fine details of the Bill — its benefits and ramifications which could affect in particular the farmers.

“In Malaysia, in 2024, 90 per cent of seeds we used for vegetable production are imported so it is not viable and illogical to impose the Plant Seed Bill and if passed, will place restrictions on them.

“Seeds are imported for such vegetables consumed by all communities in Sarawak include ‘choisum’, pak choi, amaranthus, seleng, Kang kong, long bean, bitter gourd, lady’s fingers (okra or bhindi), French bean, lufa (petola, sweet corn, broccoli, cabbages, tomatoes and chillies.

“So you can see the huge effect on the livelihood of the local farmers in West Malaysia and Sarawak.”

Yong said the local climate conditions in Malaysia such as  high rainfall, high humidity and high pest diseases were not suitable. Also, we do not have the germplasm genes to breed the genes due to the unsuitable local climate.

MARDI (Malaysia Agricultural Research Development Institute) and DOA (Department of Agriculture) have engaged local entrepreneurs to produce seeds for the nation but are still in the infancy stage.

“If we were to pass the Bill to enable local production, well it will take a long time.

“The immediate impact on the farming community would be a shortage of commodity vegetable seeds.

“This will increase the seed costs and eventually consumers have to pay more for production crops on a daily basis, driving up inflation in the country.

Yong said that the proposed licensing of seed distribution and certificate was  good but the setbacks were plenty too.

“This is a good proposal. However, we are lacking basic facilities such as a properly managed seed storage system and there are also requirements for seed storage to have the right temperature, humidity and pest control.

“Certification of seed process has  to be readily available. The government should increase seed-certified facilities in Malaysia through the DOA at no cost; otherwise it would be expensive and not affordable for the medium seed company.

“Due to this limitation, the seed business could be monopolised by a few established companies.

“On the seed certification, we do not have  seed certification facilities to certify seeds — safe seeds by farmers and growers — and the new ruling will further restrain our local farmers who have  the tendency to share seeds, a practice which is carried out traditionally.

“Moreover, under the proposed Bill, safe seed sharing would be illegal, ” said Yong.

“In Sarawak, we have very strict control on importing paddy seeds from West Malaysia or the neighbouring countries. The Bill, if passed, will result in poor yield and  shortage of rice.

“We are importing more than 60 per cent of rice. The seeds available from MARDI, MADA, KADA, MUDA development authorities  are limited and not widely used while Sarawak farmers are being denied the import of the productive and fragrant paddy seeds.”

On issues facing local seed production, he said it was not conducive due to climatic conditions such as high temperature, and high humidity as well as the prevalence of diseases and pests which could lead to the emergence of viruses. And one of the most devastating viruses was the Gemini virus, he said.

“We hope that our government will formulate a policy to enable our local farmers to have easy access to padi production.

If passed, the Bill, according to Yong, would effectively narrow the farmer’s options and force dependence on commercial seed importers from abroad. It would discourage small and medium traditional seed importers from following the new procedures as they would have to face bureaucracy and red tape.

It will also result in the farmers having to import the seeds  and eventually involve  a higher cost in production and inflated pricing.

It will also stop the import of seeds from abroad. The whole agricultural sector will face a major setback and the economy of the country may likely be ruined.