In a major initiative to get back the rights of the farmers to cross-pollinate, sell or exchange seeds, the Karnataka chapter of Bharat Beej Swaraj Manch was launched with a network of nearly 600 farmers from across the State on Monday.
The manch intends to bring all seed savers under a platform and help fight for their rights, and help them share conservation techniques. It is part of an all-India network of individuals engaged in conservation, and includes small farmers who practise selection and breeding of new varieties of crops. The office-bearers of the organisation said it would give them a forum to fight for their rights to cultivate, save, cross-breed and sell seeds, which has been appropriated by the companies through Intellectual Property Rights.
The launch coincided with the Badanavalu Satyagraha to highlight the imperatives of pursuing an alternative economic and development model.
G. Krishnaprasad of Sahaja Samruddha, an organisation propagating the concept of seed sovereignty of farmers, told The Hindu that the movement gained traction due to growing awareness among farmers.
The decline in farm income, coupled with the growth of agricultural input costs, have brought farmers to the brink, said Mr. Krishnaprasad.
“Seed sovereignty not only encourages farmers to opt for indigenous species or variety of crops but frees them from their dependency on companies and the government for seeds,” said Mr. Krishnaprasad.
Farmers said that cultivating indigenous crops not only eliminates the cost of buying seeds (because they are saved by growers and can be freely used, unlike company seeds which are patented), but reduced the need to use chemical fertilizers extensively.
