Government may introduce seed amendment bill in Parliament this year

Mint

6 hours ago

New Delhi: The government is in the process of making changes to the Seed Act to address the problem of spurious seeds, minister of agriculture and farmers' welfare, Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Wednesday.
The amended bill will ensure traceability of seeds and fix accountability, he said. "We are in the process of amending the Seed Act, which would be introduced soon," the minister added.
A senior official in the agriculture ministry said the government would try to introduce the bill by the winter session of Parliament, which usually starts in the last week of November.
'We are working on the modalities and would try to introduce various measures so that quality seeds reach to the farmers,' said the senior official.
One of the features will be a QR code to help farmers trace the origin of seeds, he added.
Spurious or uncertified seeds are causing significant losses to farmers, leading to crop failures and financial distress. Fake seeds, often sold under the guise of reputable brands, fail to germinate or produce expected yields, leaving farmers with debt.
In 2023-24, out of a total 133,000 seed samples tested, 3,630 were found sub-standard, minister of state for agriculture and farmers' welfare Ramnath Thakur said in a written reply in Lok Sabha on 11 February.
The Seeds Act, 1966, which regulates the quality of seeds for sale, has been amended multiple times to improve seed quality and ensure access to high-quality seeds for farmers. The Act provides a legal framework around seed certification and systematic seed certification started in India in 1969.
According to officials in the agriculture ministry, the amendment will be done in consultation with states and other stakeholders. Under the existing provision, certification of seed is not mandatory, and private players are currently selling seed as 'truthfully labeled'.
In March the Haryana assembly had passed the Seeds (Haryana amendment) Bill, 2025 which has stringent provisions including imprisonment for one to three years and a fine of up to ₹ 5 lakh to prevent the production and sale of substandard or fake seeds.
Additionally, the Central government is planning to strengthen equip seed testing labs with the latest technology. "We are in the process of upgrading the labs, the funds for which will be given to the states under PM-RKVY (Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna)," said the official.
Chouhan said that the government will also tighten pesticides legislation and may bring amendments to the existing laws to ensure quality inputs to farmers.
The minister said many farmers have raised concerns about the quality of seeds and pesticides during an outreach campaign "Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan", a countrywide initiative running from 29 May to 12 June across all states and union territories, aimed at equipping farmers with information, tools, and technology for the kharif sowing season.
Chouhan said, "The campaign was very successful. We engaged directly with 13 million farmers across 143,000-villages in 721 districts." As many as 60,281 programmes were conducted including in tribal, aspirational and border districts.
'Scientists will focus on demand-driven research based on farmers' feedback and many innovations done by progressive farmers would be popularized,' he added.
Chouhan said the government will make KVKs (Krishi Vigyan Kendra) a nodal agency for better coordination among all stakeholders. There are 731 KVKs spread across the country, with almost one KVK in each district barring a few.