In an era where globalisation is championed as a force of progress, developing nations like Pakistan and India find themselves ensnared in a corporate siege – a silent but potent conquest unfolding through the seedbeds of our agriculture.
The roots of this transformation lie in a single global accord: the TRIPS Agreement (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights), ratified under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 1995. While heralded as a tool to standardise intellectual property protections worldwide, TRIPS has paved the way for multinational corporations to monopolise seed systems and exert control over food production in the Global South. Traditionally, farmers in Pakistan, India, and much of the developing world have practised seed saving, sharing, and breeding-an ecosystem of resilience and biodiversity cultivated over centuries. TRIPS disrupted this legacy.
Once a farmer plants a patented GM seed, they’re locked into a cycle of purchasing associated pesticides, fertilisers, and new seeds each season, or face legal consequences.
By enforcing patentability for biotechnology and requiring countries to protect plant varieties either through patents or a sui generis system, TRIPS compelled signatory nations to embrace corporate seed models. In practice, this means genetically modified (GM) seeds-controlled and licensed by corporations like Bayer, Monsanto, and Syngenta-are now protected assets. Replanting them without permission is not just discouraged; it is criminalised.
According to the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, this has led to a wave of dependence on commercial seed varieties, displacing local alternatives and escalating production costs. Once a farmer plants a patented GM seed, they’re locked into a cycle of purchasing associated pesticides, fertilisers, and new seeds each season, or face legal consequences.
India’s tragic experience with Bt cotton, a genetically modified seed introduced in the early 2000s, stands as a stark warning. An estimated 300,000 Indian farmers have committed suicide over the past two decades, with debt, crop failure, and corporate contracts often cited as underlying factors (AgEcon Search). The same model is now being replicated across Pakistan.
As of 2023, over 70% of Pakistan’s cotton farmers rely on Bt cotton. Most are caught in a cycle of rising input costs, diminished yields, and chronic debt, as local seed industries collapse under corporate pressure.
In Argentina, widespread use of GMO crops has been linked to increased cancer rates, while in the Philippines, environmental degradation from biotech farming has damaged entire ecosystems. In Mexico, GMO corn has contaminated indigenous maize varieties, threatening the very foundation of local food security.
Leading agricultural experts warn that the TRIPS model, as implemented, serves corporate interests at the expense of farmer rights and national food sovereignty.
A report from Florida State University notes that developing nations, often rich in biodiversity but poor in legal infrastructure, are being forced into agreements that favour technology-rich countries and transnational firms. Meanwhile, mechanisms like the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV 1991) prioritise breeder rights over traditional farming practices.
Furthermore, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food has emphasised that “the patenting of seeds… undermines the capacity of farmers to be autonomous and self-sufficient.”
This isn’t merely an economic or policy issue. For many, this amounts to a moral and spiritual crisis. When a system denies farmers the right to grow their own food unless they pay royalties to corporations, it’s not just an infringement on livelihood, but a war on dignity and self-reliance.
TRIPS is only one part of the web:
The Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) reduces tariffs, making local produce vulnerable to cheap imports.
Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures impose export restrictions through costly compliance standards.
Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) encourage land grabs for corporate farming.
Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) expose farmers to floods of imported competition.
These treaties, often negotiated without grassroots consultation, have led to land dispossession, export rejections, and domestic market collapse.
Reform is not only necessary-it is urgent. Countries like India have attempted to reclaim balance through laws like the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act (2001). Such frameworks can uphold farmers’ rights, protect local biodiversity, and allow for seed sharing and replanting without fear of legal reprisal.
For Pakistan, policymakers must push for:
A robust local seed sovereignty law
Investments in indigenous seed banks
Public subsidies for natural and organic farming
A moratorium on GMO expansion until comprehensive environmental and social impact assessments are conducted
Food is not merely a commodity-it is the foundation of life, culture, and community. When a handful of corporations control the seeds of tomorrow, they control the future itself.
For developing countries, reclaiming agricultural independence is not an act of resistance; it is an act of survival. And for the millions of farmers on the front lines, it is nothing less than a struggle for their right to live, farm, and feed with freedom.
The writer is Foreign Research Associate, Centre of Excellence, China Pakistan Economic Corridor, Islamabad.