Islamabad – The Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research convened its seventh meeting under the chairmanship of Syed Tariq Hussain, Member of National Assembly (MNA).
The Seed (amendment) Bill, 2024 was brought up for discussion again. The Minister for National Food Security and Research, Rana Tanveer Hussain, informed the Committee that one provincial government has given the concurrence to the Bill. However, the Committee emphasized that, in accordance with Article 144 of the Constitution of Pakistan, resolutions from all provincial assemblies must be taken before the bill is enacted into law by Parliament.
The Committee recommended that the Chairman of the authority should have a minimum of 10 years of experience, a Master’s degree, and relevant management experience. It also suggested the need for a clear definition of “Progressive Farmer.” Furthermore, the Committee emphasized the importance of strict legal measures against sellers of counterfeit seeds, proposing both fines and imprisonment. The minimum imprisonment period was raised to two years, with fines increased to .5 million PKR, while the maximum imprisonment term was set at seven years, along with a fine of 2 million PKR. The Committee rejected the “savings” clause concerning expenses incurred by the Authority during the lapse of the Ordinance. It also recommended including a compensation clause in the Bill to ensure farmers are compensated. The Committee instructed that the Final Bill be resubmitted to the National Assembly Secretariat with the proposed amendments and approved the Bill, contingent on the resolutions from the provinces as required by Article 144.
The Committee advised that the Authority should not raise funds independently. It was also recommended that the rules of business for the Authority be formulated within two months of the Bill’s passage.
The following Honorable Members of the Standing Committee attended the meeting: Mr. Rasheed Ahmad Khan, MNA; Rana Muhammad Hayat Khan, MNA; Ms. Musarrat Asif Khawaja, MNA; Chaudhary Iftikhar Nazir, MNA; Syed Ayaz Ali Shah Sheerazi, MNA, Mr. Nadeem Abbas, MNA, Syed Javeed Ali Shah Jillani, MNA, Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Behan, MNA and Mr. Kesoo Mal Kheal Das, MNA.
The senior officers from the Ministry of National Food Security and Research and other attached departments were also present in the meeting.
