ZAAB QUESTIONS GOVERNMENT'S SILENCE ON PBR BILL

 ZAAB QUESTIONS  GOVERNMENT'S SILENCE ON PBR BILL 


By Alfonso Kasongo 
A collaborative network of concerned citizens, civil society groups, faith and farmer-based organisations, working together to strengthen the growing movement for agroecology and food sovereignty has questioned government's failure to avail the proposed new Plant Breeders Rights (PBR) Bill.

 Zambia Alliance for Agroecology and Biodiversity (ZAAB) maintains that controversial Bill is inappropriate for the country and must not be enacted as it aligns the country to the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) 1991 standards.

The Consortium fears that once proposed PBR Bill is enacted in its current form, the new seed law may trigger price increase and corporate capture of seeds, as well as  country's food system. 

The Alliance argues that government through the Seed Control  Certification Institute SCCI  has never presented the actual changes and amendments in the draft PBR Bill . 

Addressing Journalists in Lusaka today,ZAAB  Country Coordinator  Mutinta Nketani ,however, wondered what changes have been made if the seed institute has  failed to share  the two documents, thus current proposed bill and the current Act .

Ms. Nketani questions government's continued silence following the proposal  to repeal the law .

The Alliance observes that SCCI has built a strong case on the benefits of the breeders and commercial seed sector while benefits to the farmers , consumers and to the country are significantly neglected and missing from the early stakeholders in engagements .

And the Alliance has since recommended that  government should abandon all efforts to pass repeal and  adopt the proposed new Plant breeders bill to align with and  attempt to officially join the International  Union for protection of new varieties of Plant  (UPOV).

It further observes that the current PBR Act is already in line with the TRIPS agreement and adequately protects Plant breeders rights .

ZAAB is of the view for the need to develop and adopt a comprehensive and cohesive legal frameworks to fully implement Zambia's obligation to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for food and Agriculture ITPGRFA and specifically farmers rights.

"Our Recommendations:

Abandon efforts to pass repeal and adoption of the Proposed new PBR Bill to align with and attempt to officially join UPOV. The current PBR Act is already in line with the TRIPS Agreement and adequately protects plant breeders’ rights and so no further revisions in line with UPOV should be made.

Facilitate an open and transparent national discussion on Farmers’ Rights. Such open engagement with stakeholders from the farmer and formal seed and agricultural sectors, civil society, and relevant ministries must also be undertaken before any amendment to seed legislation takes place and order to shape comprehensive new guiding principles for Zambia’s seed systems. 

Develop and adopt a comprehensive and cohesive legal framework to fully implement Zambia’s obligations of the ITPGRFA and specifically Farmers Rights. This should include developing a flourishing national seed sector based on farmer and diverse seed appropriate for varied local agroecological conditions," read the ZAAB statement in part.


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