India, Nov. 26 -- Farmers' bodies are concerned that the proposed draft Seeds Bill, 2019, and the Pesticide Management Bill could weaken farmers' rights and increase corporate control over seed, as the definition of "farmer" has been tweaked to include traders and corporations. The original definition of "farmer" excluded any individual, company, trader or dealer, who engages in procurement and sale on commercial basis (non-farmers); Bharatiya Krishak Samaj president Krishan Bir Chaudhary insists this should be retained.

The draft states, "Farmer means any person who owns cultivable land or any other category of farmers who are doing the agricultural work as may be notified by the Central/State Governments." It identifies "farmer" as any...