Bad seeds pose a serious threat to food crops - say experts

Hundreds of crops have been lost due to non-native diseases and pests, which are among the main rea- sons why Malaysia needs a law to control seeds, say agricultural experts, in response to protests against a proposed Bill. However, the academics also said that the Bill must strike a balance between the need to pro- tect crops so that conswners have sufficient food and the interests of traditional farmers. The new law, tentatively called the Seed Quality Bill, aims to make it mandatory for farmers who store, process, sell and share seeds to get a licence from the government. Their seeds must also be tested at an approved laboratory. Farmers and NGOs protested the new Bill at the recent sitting of Parliament, calling on the government to review the proposed law.

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