Puerto Rico's Stolen Seed Future
by Sadhu Govardhan
Already in 2001, the U.N. Food and Agriculture
Organization was sending out warnings that too many plant species are
disappearing at an alarming rate. While in the past over 10,000 plant
species were used for food, today no more than 120 cultivated species
provide over 90% of our plant based food. The global
genetic loss in the last few decades is indeed frightening: over 80%
of the world’s original forests are lost; in the Amazon alone over
2000 trees a minute are killed. Our rainforests, which could be
referred to as “our womb of life,” are the home of thousands of food
crops – but all of them are disappearing at the same rate the
rainforest itself is disappearing. This means that on a yearly basis,
hundreds of tropical fruits and vegetables are becoming distant
history, partially never even documented or known outside their region
of origin. In the last few decades, dedicated fruit and
vegetable seed collectors around the world have begun to
systematically collect as many species as possible in order to save
them from extinction and to guarantee food security for the future.
For them, there is no better preservation than spreading these seeds
as wide and far as possible. They have understood the devastating
effects of the current genetic erosion, caused by irresponsible
governments and corporations. They are fully aware that the direction
agriculture has taken in recent times is lethal when it comes to
protecting genetic diversity. Ultimately, there is no safer way to
preserve genetic material than by spreading it as far and wide as
possible. Instead of acknowledging the important work
of the private sector to save and preserve countless species, every
year there are more laws passed to discourage and prevent free seed
and plant trade. In order to justify these oppressive restrictions,
fear of new diseases or the dogma of “invasive food crops” is sold to
the public. If we look at the statistics of crops that are affected by
serious diseases, we find that only crops that are commercially
overproduced in monocultures fit into that category. There are no
“invasive food” crops that can cause any environmental damage when
responsibly planted in polyculture settings. Furthermore, open
pollinated seeds of fruits, herbs or vegetables very rarely are
carriers of diseases, provided the seeds are properly cleaned and
surface sterilized. Instead of being encouraged to
diversify their crops, the farmers of today are indoctrinated to make
their living with a handful of cash crops. Here in Puerto Rico, the
government mostly promotes coffee (which is a stimulant but not a food
crop), citrus, bananas and plantains. All of these crops are
over-cultivated and therefore plagued by pests and diseases.
Instead of having just a handful of tropical food crops, we could have
hundreds or even thousands. This diversity would not only give a
farmer more opportunities to survive but would also help us to restore
the loss of genetic diversity. In recent years, it has
become increasingly difficult for farmers or gardeners to obtain high
quality seed material because most available seeds are hybrids. The
vast majority of seeds imported to Puerto Rico are neither from
tropical regions, nor open pollinated or heirloom seeds. Unknown to
most, massive consolidations have led to three major seed companies
(Monsanto, DuPont, Novartis) whose control over the global seed market
increases on a daily basis. The seeds they offer are either
genetically modified or hybrids that contribute to the loss of genetic
diversity. While these corporations get all the
government support required to expand their empire of greed and
destruction, environmentally conscious small-scale farmers or private
collectors are practically treated as criminals just because they want
to exchange healthy seeds of lesser known crops. Famous
fruit researchers of the past, like Popenoe or Fairchild were
considered to be heroes who brought new food crops to the west. Today,
a person who wants to bring new seeds to Puerto Rico (or the U.S.) is
viewed and treated like a suspect with criminal intent by the
regulating government agencies. In theory, the law
requires that one acquires a small lot seed import permit which can be
applied for online. The agency that issues the permit after verifying
the identity of the applicant, is APHIS/USDA and the permit is for
free. Since this new permit does not require a phytosanitary
certificate on the exporter’s end anymore, it seemed to be a better
permit than the old one for most applicants. But that has
unfortunately not been the case as is evident in these recent cases.
There are increasing reports from permit holders (hobby growers,
farmers, researchers) that the permit is not being honored in the way
it is supposed to be. Here some practical examples: 1)
Puerto Rican permit holder “A” buys seeds from a South American
country. All permit requirements are met: the botanical name is
included; the species is authorized; the seeds were professionally
cleaned and surface sterilized. The seeds never arrive. Instead, a
notice from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stationed in
Miami, FL, arrives: the seeds were destroyed because the seeds were
“unknown material, not authorized”, “material infected or infested”.
In this particular case, the seeds didn’t even make it to APHIS/USDA,
and the permit wasn’t even looked at (it remained unopened in the
attached pouch). After an additional investigation it turns out that
the name of the species was written before the name of the genus. This
is like writing “Joe Gonzalez” instead of “Gonzalez Joe” – already
sufficient reason for seeds to get destroyed. Unknown
to most Puerto Ricans, ALL packages sent by regular mail or via
Express mail couriers from South and Central America, as well as most
Caribbean islands, go through Florida, and are generally intercepted
there. Once they are intercepted its almost certain that they get
destroyed. 2) Puerto Rican permit holder “B” buys seeds
(three different packages) from another South American country. All
permit requirements are met again but the seeds are sent to an address
that doesn’t match the address and name on the permit. All three
packages are seized and the seeds destroyed. It does not occur to the
officer that people can share a physical address or P.O.B. and that
people may send seeds to their spouses, friends or shared P.O.B.
holders with a different name. 3) Permit holder “C”
gets a seed donation from Asia. The seeds are sent from an
agricultural scientist to the UPR in Mayaguez with an express mail
courier. Permit holder “C” gets a notice after one week that the seeds
have been intercepted by APHIS and are being held in CA. Next, he gets
notice that the seeds were forwarded to APHIS Miami. A week later, he
gets a notice that the seeds were sent to APHIS San Juan. Another week
passes and he gets notice from APHIS in San Juan that the seeds were
sent back to APHIS Miami. After a month, he gets the seeds – all of
them dead. They, like most tropical seeds, had a very short viability
and the money spent on the express mail courier as well as the seeds
are lost. 4) Permit holder “D” gets free seeds from
another fruit collector in South America. The seeds are intercepted by
APHIS in San Juan. The permit holder is requested to explain and pick
up the seeds in person. Driving time: 6 hours. A high price for a
handful of seeds! 5) Permit holder “E” trades seeds
with a fruit collector in South America. The seeds never arrive.
Instead, what arrives is a notice from APHIS in Miami, saying that the
import permit was not attached. The permit holder asks the sender who
says that not only was the permit attached, he watched his assistant
not only insert the permit in the package but staple it to the bag of
seeds. The problem here is that the “small guy” has no
rights and can’t possibly provide any evidence while the government
agency can say or do whatever they please without requiring evidence
or worse, they can make up any reason why they won’t honor the permit.
What is the value of a permit that is not honored by the people who
issue it? Particularly since the beginning of 2009, the
interception and destruction of seeds sent to Puerto Rico has become
systematic and thorough. When I mentioned some of these
unfortunate facts to a local APHIS officer, his response was a
confirmation: “This happens to many people here in Puerto Rico”.
Is it really necessary for a government agency to be that oppressive
when dealing with small amounts of harmless and beneficial fruit or
vegetable seeds? It all reminds so much of a line of one of Bob
Marley’s songs: “Every time you plant a seed, they kill it before it
grows”. Private people have less and less rights while
governments and corporations become increasingly oppressive and
dominant. Agricultural laws are always written in their favor and
never in favor of a private person or small-scale farmer. The farmers
of today are essentially told what they can and what they can’t grow.
In the light of these injustices and sad facts it is not surprising
that agriculture is considered to be in danger of extinction in Puerto
Rico. When the Spaniards conquered Puerto Rico, they
recorded six fruits that were growing here. Over time, over four
hundred new species have been introduced to the island – none of the
ones introduced in the form of seeds have ever caused any problem;
contrary to this, all of them have benefited tens of millions of
people over several generations. Just imagine for a moment that APHIS
or the U.S. Customs and Border Protection would have been around at
the time of the Spanish invasion – we would most likely still have
only a few dozen fruit species here instead of over four hundred.
The future of seeds is directly linked to the future of our food and
food security. Seeds have become one of the most coveted global
resources and the small farmer or private seed collector is paying the
price. Although he follows the already oppressive and unnecessary law,
his seeds are still being stolen and destroyed, often on the grounds
of a technical mistake; other times without a solid reason or worse, a
false reason. Puerto Rico desperately needs more food
crops. Only about 6% of the food consumed locally is also produced
here. Our agriculture has a blatant lack of biological and genetic
diversity. Our farmers need help and not oppression. Our fruit, herb
and vegetable collectors are not dubious suspects but heroes.
Despite the massive government propaganda that conventional farming is
solving the problems of the world, over 1 billion people on the planet
go hungry every day and millions starve to death. Hundreds of plant
species that are either in danger of extinction or that have been
extinct could have easily be saved if seed trades would be encouraged
instead of oppressed. Think about it: if your grandmother wants to
send you 5 seeds of her favorite fruit, she can’t do that if she
doesn’t have a permit or doesn’t know its botanical name.
It could legitimately be argued that it is a crime to unnecessarily
cripple Puerto Rico’s agriculture by confiscating harmless and
beneficial seeds, even such quantities as small as five or ten seeds.
If no one ever fights this injustice, Puerto Rico will lose whatever
little biological and genetic diversity is left. In other words, if we
don’t act, we allow others to steal our’s and our children’s future.
If you ever experienced any similar abuse
by APHIS or the U.S. Customs & Border Protection, you are welcome to
share your experiences with me and write to
sadhu@coqui.net
© Sadhu Govardhan,
2009
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I would like
to extend a heartfelt thanks to everyone who has helped out this
project over the years. Even if I can't acknowledge all of you
individually since so many people have supported Govardhan Gardens
in so many ways, I certainly remember every one of you. 
