Seed war? Centre alerts states about unsolicited parcels

Seed companies requesting anonymity said that when import is done through proper channel the risk is minimised. (Representative image)

Even as the novel coronavirus doing the rounds around the globe fuelled unsubstantiated theories of germ warfare, a new threat is being perceived of foreign seeds harming India’s food chain and biodiversity. The Centre has alerted state governments, agriculture universities, seed associations, certification agencies and research institutes under Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to remain vigilant as unsolicited seeds reaching the country via courier.

The agriculture ministry’s missive to states on August 6 followed similar advisories issued by the US department of agriculture (USDA) and other agencies recently.

“(Over) the last few months, thousands of such suspicious seed shipments have been reported across the world. The USDA termed it a brushing scam and agricultural smuggling and also reported that the unsolicited seed parcels may contain seeds of an alien invasive species or an attempt to introduce pathogen or disease that may pose serious threats to environment, agriculture eco-system and national security,” DK Srivastava, deputy commissioner, agriculture ministry, wrote in the letter to states.

The threat of unsolicited/suspicious seed parcels with mislabeled packages from unknown sources was reported in many countries such as the US, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and Japan. According to International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) vice president K Keshavulu, people in Washington, New York, Virginia, Florida and a few other states in the US had received unrecognised seed packets without details of origin through e-commerce companies even though they had not ordered these agri-inputs.

Currently, import of floriculture seeds into India is free while importers need to take permission for other seeds. There is a committee under agriculture commissioner which decides on import applications and it clears only those crops where there is a deficiency in domestic market, sources said.

Seed companies requesting anonymity said that when import is done through proper channel the risk is minimised. But, when small packets arrive through couriers, it is difficult to monitor, they said.

“The USDA is aware that people across the country have received suspicious, unsolicited packages of seed that appear to be coming from China. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is working closely with the department of homeland security’s Customs and Border Protection, other federal agencies and state departments of agriculture to investigate the situation,” the agency said in a statement on August 6.

“Right now it is only an alert for a possible spread of plant diseases through seeds coming from unauthorised sources without orders. Seed terrorism is too big a word to use for it. There are limitations to what diseases a seed can carry. But nevertheless it is a threat,” said Ram Kaundinya, director general of Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII). He said everyone should be careful not to use any seed coming from unknown sources while plant quarantine and customs checks at ports and airports have to be stringent.