PNPV Act Amendments, Seed Quality Bill To Be Presented To Special Select Committee

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 (Bernama) -- Amendments to the Protection of New Plan Varieties Act (PNPV Act) 2004 and the Crop Seed Quality Bill will be presented to the Parliamentary Special Select Committee before being tabled in the Dewan Rakyat, said Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu.

He said the decision was reached at a Bill meeting chaired by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul on July 18.

He added that the Department of Agriculture is ready to present the impact of the amendments and the drafting of the bill to any farmers' organisations, if necessary.

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"All new proposals or amendments to regulations not related to national security and sovereignty must undergo a Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) to enhance the quality of policies introduced by the government, which encompasses seven elements under the Regulatory Process Management System.

"For the Crop Seed Quality Bill, the RIA process has been implemented from March 6, 2013, while the RIA process for the amendment of the PNPV Act began on May 15, 2019," he said.

"The Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) for the bill was issued by the Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC) on June 22, 2018, while the RIS for the amendment to the 2004 PNPV Act was issued on April 4, 2024," he said during the Special Chamber session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

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He clarified whether the ministry had conducted a Social Impact Assessment and public consultation sessions on the impact of the amendments to the PNPV Act and the Crop Seed Quality Bill, as raised by Wong Chen (PH-Subang).

Mohamad stated that public consultations for the bill and the amendments to the act were conducted in face-to-face and online sessions during the RIA process.

Regarding feedback on royalties and the plant patent system, he explained that the 2004 PNPV Act grants breeders' rights through a Breeder's Rights Certificate for 20 to 25 years.

He noted that it also allows breeders to collect royalties on the use of new varieties through seven areas of activity: production and reproduction, conditioning for propagation, sales, marketing, export, import, and stocking. 

-- BERNAMA