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Who will protect small farmers from the companies that import decayed seeds?
LCHR has received complaints from dozens of farmers from Abu El Matameer, Abu Hommus and Kafr El Dawwar villages – Behira governorate. They are complaining about their major losses because of using decayed corn seeds from a seed company, which made them loose all their money in the farming process.
When the farmers planted the corn seeds, they found that the production rate is no more than 10%, which made the farmers send collective complaints to the police stations in their areas to prove their losses.
Agrarian associations in Behira examined the seeds and found out that they are no good for planting. They informed the seeds company that imported these seeds about this. The company also examined the seeds and found that they are no good for planting, which made it give the farmers another kind of corn seeds as compensation for their losses. When the farmers planted the new seeds, they faced the same results.
The distributor gathered the seeds from the market, returned it to the seed company and tried to negotiate compensating the farmers. The seed company refused to take back the seeds saying that it is not responsible for the seeds after selling and distributing them.
LCHR presented farmers complaints to the Ministry of Agriculture demanding it to take the necessary legal procedures in this matter and fulfill its duty in supervising the seed market in Egypt to protect citizens lives, guarantee their rights to clean food and safe farming and protect our soil.
For more information, please contact the Center.