Argentina: New seed bill goes to Congress

The government of Argentina has forwarded a bill to the Congress that will modify the country’s Seed Law, which has already been in practice for 43 years. The most controversial issue is the restriction to the “saved seeds,” a procedure in which the farmer can reserve part of the production to be used in the following cycle.

According to the project, the farmer should pay royalties for the seeds acquired for three consecutive cycles in the same area. During the fourth cycle, the farmer will not be required to pay for the technology, unless the surface planted is expanded; in this case, the farmer would just pay the respective difference.

The new Seed Law exempts small farmers, indigenous populations or farmers with less than AR$ 1.8 million income from making the payment. The Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Agriculture, Guillermo Bernaudo, explained that the initiative has two major points.

One of them establishes that any restrictions to the payment for intellectual property would be charged only for the seeds. This would inhibit the tech developers from charging a percentage of the production. The royalty prices would be fixed in the invoice of the seed purchases.

Another point is the establishment of the National Institute of Seeds as the agency of enforcement of the legality of the seeds. The agency will be able to control and inspect the crops or grains stored in any place of the country – in the field, warehouses or ports.