Latest news with #TheSeedsAct
Indian Express
09-08-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Why Punjab's seed dealers are concerned about the govt's move to make sale of spurious seeds a non-bailable offence
Days after the Punjab government gave its nod to introduce The Seeds Bill 2025 to make the sale of spurious seeds a non-bailable offence, seed dealers across the state have raised concerns about the move and submitted a memorandum to the Governor. The dealers have alleged that the Bill would unfairly target those who sell pre-sealed, certified seeds. Here is a look at the concerns of the state's seed dealers. The Bill essentially makes amendments to The Seeds Act, 1966, which regulates the quality of certain seeds for sale and matters related to it across the country, including in Punjab. The Bill seeks to amend Section 19 of the Act to increase the fine and penalty for selling spurious seeds. In an official statement, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said, 'There has been no amendment to Section 19 of the Seeds Act 1966 since its inception due to which the fines and penalties have no deterrence… So the Cabinet gave its nod to enact a Bill to amend the Seeds Act and insert Section 19A for contravention of Section 7 of the Seeds Act, enhancing the fine and penalty, and making it cognizable and non-bailable.' According to the Bill, the first offence by a company will invite a punishment of one to two years and a fine of between Rs 5 and Rs 10 lakh, and a punishment of two to three years and a fine of between Rs 10 and Rs 50 lakh for a repeated offence. 'Similar misdeed by a dealer/person will invite a punishment of six months to one year and fine of Rs 1-5 lakh for the first offence and a term of 1 to 2 years and fine of Rs 5-10 lakh for repeated offence,' the statement said. For an individual or dealer, the punishment for the first offence will be six months to one year of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, while the term will be one to two years with a fine between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh for repeat offences. Currently, the penalty stands at a mere Rs 500 for the first offence, and Rs 1,000 along with a prison term of up to six months for repeat offences. There are around 25,000 licensed seed dealers in Punjab, apart from government and semi-government bodies such as universities, cooperative societies, IFFCO (Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited), and KRIBHCO (Krishak Bharati Cooperative Ltd), which also sell seeds. Private dealers argue that they buy sealed, certified seeds from government-approved manufacturers or packagers, and sell these sealed packets directly to farmers without any tampering or repackaging. Therefore, they are not responsible for manufacturing, breeding, or certification of the seeds, according to seed dealers. Quality assurance is the responsibility of the seed producers, who could be companies, universities, government departments, and farmers (as big companies also engage farmers in their seed growing process), not the retailers, dealers have said. The outcome of the crop, they argue, also depends on weather, soil, human effort, and farming practices, not just the seed itself. Mohinder Singh, President of the Seed, Pesticides and Fertilisers Association, Punjab, told The Indian Express, 'When the seed is grown, its germination and DNA tests are conducted, after which the government's certification authority issues a certificate at the time of packaging. Then, a principal certificate is issued to the dealers for its sale, which is added to the seed dealers' license by officials of the Agriculture Department. This means that every seed that reaches a seed dealer is under the watch of the government. He also said, 'If there are any black sheep among us, they should be punished stringently, but the proposed amendment can be misused against honest dealers in general.' Seed dealers have also said that treating the sale of spurious seeds as a non-bailable offence would lead to harassment and arrests of dealers without evidence or inquiry. They argue that the provision can also be misused by competitors.
Time of India
22-06-2025
- Science
- Time of India
BAU scientists develop 4 new climate-resilient rice varieties
Bhagalpur: In a bid to make Bhagalpur and Bihar the rice bowl of India, scientists at Bihar Agricultural University (BAU) have developed four new high-yielding, disease-resistant and climate-friendly rice varieties. The newly developed varieties – Sabour Katarni Dhan-1, Sabour Samba Dhan, Sabour Vibhuti Dhan and Sabour Shri Sub-1 – were released by BAU and recommended to the State Varietal Release Committee (SVRC) for evaluation. "They will then be referred to the Central Varietal Release Committee (CVRC) and Central Seed Committee (CSC) under The Seeds Act, 1966, for national-level recommendation," said BAU vice-chancellor D R Singh on Sunday. Praising the efforts of BAU scientists, he said, "Sabour Katarni Dhan-1, developed by Mankesh Kumar and team, is a high-yielding, non-lodging, early-maturing variety with one-and-a-half times more yield than existing types. Its seeds will soon be mass-produced for farmers in Bhagalpur." On 'Sabour Samba Dhan', developed by Prakash Singh's team, he said, "It has medium-long grains and high productivity. It can serve as an alternative to the Bapatla variety and will be demonstrated across 100 acres of farmland." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo 'Sabour Shri Sub-1', an improved flood-tolerant variety by Shweta Sinha's team, "can survive 14 days in waterlogged conditions, yielding 30–35 quintals per hectare in such scenarios and 50–55 quintals normally," the VC added. The fourth, 'Sabour Vibhuti Dhan', developed by Amarendra Kumar's team, is "tolerant to bacterial leaf blight and offers high yield through gene pyramiding," he said. The VC added that the BAU research council has approved all four varieties and efforts are being made to ensure large-scale demonstration, packaging and distribution to farmers, including during the current rainy season.
