Amendment status not verified — confirm the current text below against the official source.
12 [Act No.29 of 2007] EXPLANATORY STATEMENT The provisions of the Seeds Act, 1966 (Central Act 54 of 66) in its application to the State of Andhra Pradesh regulate the quality of seed in respect of notified varieties. For the past few years, in view of substantial change of pattern of agriculture particularly in usage of seed, the said provisions are found to be inadequate for enforcement in respect of quality of cotton seed and regulation of trade of non-notified cotton varieties, research hybrid varieties etc., as a result the entire economy of farmers is affected. By the recent amendment of Essential Commodities Act, 1955, cotton seed is deleted from the Schedule of the Act. The Environmental Protection Act, 1986, the Rules, 1986 and the Rules for Manufacture, Use/Import/Export and Storage of Hazardous Micro Organisms/Genetically Engineered Organism or Cells, 1989 deals with only biosafety aspects of transgenic cotton seed. The traders who are dealing in cottonseed including transgenic cotton seed have been resorting to dubious methods and exploitation of poor farmers, particularly in respect of scarce type of cotton seed, causing unjustified burden towards seed cost which is essential and vital input in the process of agriculture, which lead the several farmers into debt trap, and sometimes leading to suicides also. The multinational companies are taking undue advantage of their monopoly in respect of scarce type of cotton seed. Article 39 (b) of the Constitution of India enjoins the State to make suitable statutory prescriptions, so as to make available the commodities essential to the citizens at fair price. Therefore, in the interest of farming fraternity and to have free flow of supply, equi-distribution and price of all kinds of cotton seeds including transgenic cotton seeds and to protect the farmers economy, it is expedient and necessary that there is every need to bring a Cotton Seed [Act No.29 of 2007] 13 Regulation law in consonance with National Seed Policy,