Seed Treaty Concerns in India

India faces unique challenges with the proposed Seed Treaty enhancement, particularly regarding the expansion of Annex I that could force sharing of indigenous varieties and undermine national sovereignty over plant genetic resources.

Specific Threats to India

Sovereignty Erosion

Annex I expansion would legally obligate India to share all plant germplasm, undermining sovereign rights over indigenous varieties.

Lack of Tracking

Current system lacks transparency and tracking mechanisms, making India's genetic resources vulnerable to biopiracy.

Confidentiality Clauses

New confidentiality provisions further reduce accountability and transparency in genetic resource transfers.

DSI Loophole

Digital Sequence Information remains unaddressed, enabling digital biopiracy without benefit-sharing obligations.

Our Demands for India

Reject the package of measures - especially Annex I expansion
Prioritize Farmers' Rights in all negotiations
Protect national sovereignty over genetic resources
Implement governance reforms for transparency
Urgent consultation with farmers' organizations and state ministries

Supporting Organizations

Bharat Beej Swaraj Manch

Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA)

Gene Campaign

Navdanya

Deccan Development Society

Key Supporters

Dr. Vandana Shiva - Environmental Activist

Suman Sahai - Gene Campaign

Ramanjaneyulu GV - Centre for Sustainable Agriculture

Kavitha Kuruganti - ASHA

P.V. Satheesh - Deccan Development Society

Send a Letter to Your Government

Target: Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
Subject: Urgent: Reject Biased MLS Enhancement Package - Protect Farmers' Rights and National Sovereignty

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Respected Shri Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare,

I am writing to urge immediate attention to the Draft Package of Measures submitted to 11th Governing Body of the ITPGRFA (Seed Treaty)—without consensus—by the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group to Enhance the Functioning of the Multilateral System (MLS). The package fails to address existing problems and introduces proposals that risk deepening current flaws.

As a concerned citizen, I believe this package threatens farmers' rights and national sovereignty in unprecedented ways:

1. NON-TRANSPARENT AND UNACCOUNTABLE MLS: The lack of accountability has fundamentally undermined benefit-sharing objectives. While access to over 7.07 million accessions has been granted to more than 28,000 users, benefits have not flowed to provider countries or farmers.

2. EXPANSION TO ALL PGRFA: The proposal to expand MLS from 64 crops to all PGRFA, particularly national collections, without demonstrating governance improvements is deeply concerning. This fundamentally alters the Treaty's balance and contravenes Articles 10 and 11.

3. NO FARMERS' RIGHTS SAFEGUARDS: The package fails to include protections for rights to save, use, exchange, and sell farm-saved seed or safeguard traditional knowledge. No proposals for effective safeguards were on the table.

4. BIASED WORKING GROUP PROCESS: The package proposes measures heavily tilted towards commercial breeders while offering only non-binding resolutions for critical issues like Farmers' Rights.

I urge the Government of India to:
• Reject the present biased draft package of measures
• Support immediate publication of detailed PGRFA transfer information
• Organize worldwide consultation with Farmers Organizations
• Initiate a new process prioritizing Farmers' Rights and national sovereignty

India, as a biodiversity-rich nation, must lead in protecting our farmers and genetic heritage.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Email]

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