KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 19): The Malaysian Food Sovereignty Forum (FKMM) and civil society groups called on the Malaysian government to halt tabling the Plant Seed Quality Bill in Parliament, citing licensing restrictions that could affect small-scale farmers instead of addressing monopolies in the industry.

In a statement signed by 106 farmers’ organisations and civil society groups, the undersigned also called for “transparent and comprehensive consultation sessions” with farmers, citing lack of details on the assessment of the Bill’s impact.

The statement also said that the regulatory impact statement (RIS) for the Bill, released in June 2018, did not comply with the established process for the RIS, and asked for a proper impact assessment to be carried out.

“The said RIS process was conducted in an irregular manner and is thus unreliable to support any introduction of the Bill,” it said.

“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.

“In fact, the drafting of the proposed Plant Quality Seed Bill was only announced by the secretary general of the Ministry of Agriculture on Sept 16, 2018. We found that certain groups of farmers were not even consulted at all. How can the RIS be completed before public notification is made?”

According to the statement, the 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”.

The licensing and management costs could add to monopolies rather than curbing them, alleges the group, as “companies are more capable to cover related licensing and management costs, rather than individuals”.

It also criticised the fine and prison sentence imposed for non-compliance of licence.

“The offence of not having a licence could result in fines of up to RM200,000 or imprisonment of up to three years,” said FKMM. This is as if the farmers had committed a serious offence and contradicts farmers’ rights under international law, it said.

“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.

“We believe that the objectives of the Bill can be achieved through existing laws, and must include consultation with farmers and the public,” it said.