September 2, 2025
PETALING JAYA – For years, and especially since the Covid-19 pandemic, Nor Riha Yusoff’s personal mission has been to encourage as many people as possible to start their own small backyard farms.
“Even if it’s one fruit tree or one pot of vegetables, everyone should try to grow their food,” said the 54-year-old, who herself has a small patch of vegetables, ulam and fruit trees behind her house.
Nor Riha has helped dozens of friends, relatives and neighbours to start growing their own food by sharing techniques and, most importantly, good seeds.
However, her campaign may soon be threatened by a new law on seeds that would require all farmers to obtain licenses to store, process, share or sell seeds.
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“Small farmers like me and community farms rely on the age-old practice of storing and sharing good seeds. To encourage people to start their own gardens, I give them free seeds,” she said.
“Seed exchanging is important because if your plants fail, you won’t lose money.
“If you make people buy seeds, then people will be scared to try and fail,” she added.
Nor Riha was part of a group of farmers who marched on Parliament last week to protest the government’s plans to table a Seed Quality Bill and amend the current Protection of New Plant Varieties Act 2004 (PNPV 2004).
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The new seed Bill would also require those applying for a licence to send their seeds for laboratory tests, said Nurfitri Amir Muhammad, the coordinator for the Food Security and Sovereignty Forum.
“There are already enough laws to regulate seeds among commercial farms. This law is a way to control the traditional seed-sharing practices of farmers,” said Nurfitri.
“The Bill is overkill and will burden and discriminate against small farmers.”
Nolida Kamaruddin, who manages a community farm in Pandan Jaya with the help of her neighbours, echoed these concerns.
“We are worried because we store seeds from good harvests so that we can replant them,” she noted.
To supplement their incomes, the farm will also plant seeds which are then sold to households as saplings, said Nolida.
“When this law is passed, we will not be able to sell these saplings anymore.
“Because the majority of people in this community are B40, getting licences will be a burden we cannot afford. So, we urge the government to review this Bill,” said Nolida.
Kuasa, a Perak-based environmental group that plants native trees to reforest logged areas and abandoned tin mines, will also be impacted by the new seed Bill.
“We have thousands of seeds from native plants and trees in our inventory,” said Kuasa secretary Hafizudin Nasarudin.
“We would run out of funds if we need a licence to plant them or if we need to send each species to be validated in a lab.”
Besides abandoned mines, Kuasa actively replants trees in mangrove swamps and in water catchment areas close to Orang Asli villages that have been logged.