The Malaysian Food Security and Sovereignty Forum said such a law would impose fines on farmers for carrying out traditional practices such as selling, trading or exchanging seeds, which it called unfair and “oppressive”.
According to the agriculture and food industries ministry, the legislation would regulate all “regulated seeds” in terms of processing, testing, sale, distribution, import, and export to ensure that the quality of seeds produced meets certain requirements and standards.
In a statement, the Malaysian Food Security and Sovereignty Forum said: “(It) could provoke protests as seen in Indonesia and India, especially if the government is not mindful about this.”
Noting that the law would require farmers to carry out laboratory tests in order to certify the quality of their seeds, the group said this would reduce the variety of products in that market as fewer new variants would be introduced.
This, it said, would put the diversity of the food industry at risk.
With additional regulation, “big corporations or companies will control the Malaysian seed system while small entrepreneurs and farmers who process seeds will slowly disappear and the role of government agencies will be reduced”.
With these concerns in mind, the group called for the agriculture and food industries ministry to disclose the bill in full before it is tabled.
“The last consultation process with members of this Forum was held sometime in 2019.
“Therefore, it is crucial that another consultation with a wider audience is undertaken with the full bill in sight as we do not know if the agriculture and food industries ministry had even considered the recommendations that were put forth.
“Further, any legislation on seed quality should only apply to commercial companies that sell seeds to ensure that the seeds they sell to consumers are genuine and of good quality.
“Small-scale farmers and individuals who are gardening enthusiasts, as well as those who run community gardens should be free to save, share and sell seeds as long as they are not commercially done.”