**Executive Summary**
The document is the answer to Unstarred Question No. 640 in Lok Sabha regarding the Draft Seed Bill 2025, which aims to replace the Seeds Act of 1966. The response, provided by the Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, addresses concerns about alignment with farmers' rights, key features, safeguards, intellectual property obligations, and consultations. The expected finalization and enactment will follow due procedure.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Alignment and Purpose:**
* The Draft Seed Bill 2025 aims to replace the Seeds Act of 1966 and aligns with India's commitments to protect farmers' rights and biodiversity.
* The measures in the bill are intended to strengthen seed quality assurance.
* Provisions will ensure quality seed reaches farmers (especially small and marginal farmers), resulting in increased production, higher income, and mitigated risk.
* **Key Features and Regulations:**
* Compulsory registration of all seed varieties sold in the market.
* Accreditation of certification agencies to ensure uniform standards across the country.
* Registration of seed producers, seed processing units, dealers, and distributors.
* Registration of plant nurseries.
* Regulation of seed sale prices during emergencies.
* Compulsory labeling of seed performance.
* Mandatory onboarding on Central Traceability Portal.
* Rationalization of penalties for violations.
* **Safeguards and Rights:**
* The Bill explicitly protects farmers' rights to grow, sow, save, exchange, and sell their farm-saved seeds of any registered varieties.
* The proposed Act will not apply to farmers, and exemptions are provided for traditional and farmers' varieties.
* **Intellectual Property:**
* The Bill does not create or confer intellectual property rights over seeds.
* Intellectual property issues are governed separately under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act (PPV&FRA), 2001.
* The Bill focuses on seed quality regulation and does not facilitate corporate control over seeds or dilute farmer's rights.
* **Consultations and Finalization:**
* Extensive consultations have been held with farmers' groups, seed experts, industry associations, and State Governments.
* Pre-legislative consultation has been conducted, and suggestions have been examined.
* Due procedure will be followed for finalization and enactment.
**Impact Analysis**
**Farmers (especially small and marginal farmers)**
* **Impact:** Increased production, higher income, and mitigated risk associated with seeds due to the availability of quality seeds. Rights to traditional farming practices are safeguarded.
* **Action Required:** Be aware of the new regulations for seed varieties and registration.
**Seed Producers, Dealers, Distributors, and Plant Nurseries**
* **Impact:** Must comply with the new compulsory registration and accreditation requirements.
* **Action Required:** Register their varieties, processing units, and nurseries according to the new regulations.
**Certification Agencies**
* **Impact:** Need to be accredited to ensure uniform standards across the country.
* **Action Required:** Get accredited according to the new standards.
**State Governments**
* **Impact:** Participate in the finalization and enactment process of the Draft Seed Bill.
* **Action Required:** Continue to provide input and feedback as the Bill progresses.
Key Entities Referenced
Draft Seed Bill 2025: Proposed legislation concerning seeds, encompassing mandatory registration, traceability, and penalties.
Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare: Indian government ministry responsible for agriculture and farmers' welfare.
Seeds Act of 1966: Existing act that the Draft Seed Bill 2025 proposes to replace.
Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act (PPV&FRA), 2001: Act governing intellectual property rights related to plant varieties.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS WELFARE
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS WELFARE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 640
TO BE ANSWERED ON 3RD FEBRUARY, 2026
DRAFT SEED BILL 2025
640. SHRI M K RAGHAVAN:
Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ िष एवं िकसान क(cid:670)ाण मं(cid:361)ी be
pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government has examined the manner in which the draft Seeds Bill 2025,
which proposes to replace the Seeds Act of 1966, aligns with India’s commitments to protect
farmers’ rights and biodiversity in light of these global trends;
(b) the key features of the draft Bill, including mandatory variety registration, centralised
accreditation, traceability and penalties, and the manner in which they would affect small and
marginal farmers;
(c) whether specific safeguards have been included to ensure that traditional farming practices
(such as saving, exchanging and reusing seeds) and indigenous seed diversity are protected
and not adversely impacted;
(d) the manner in which the draft Bill interacts with international intellectual property
obligations and whether these could inadvertently facilitate corporate control over seeds; and
(e) the consultations held with farmers’ groups, seed experts and States on the draft Bill and
the timeline for finalisation and enactment, the details thereof?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
कृ िष एवं िकसान क(cid:670)ाण रा(cid:475) मं(cid:361)ी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)
(a): Yes, Sir.
(b): The Bill has provisions for compulsory registration of all varieties sold in the market,
accreditation of certification agencies to ensure uniform standards across the country,
registration of seed producer, seed processing unit and dealer and distributors, registration of
plant nurseries, regulation of seed sale prices under emergent situation, compulsory labelling
of performance of seeds, mandatory on boarding on Central Traceability portal for traceability
and rationalization of penalties for violations etc. These measures are intended to ensure the
quality of seeds follow nationally determined standards supplied to the farmers thereby
strengthening seed quality assurance. These provisions will ensure that quality seed reaches
to farmers especially small and marginal farmers and result in increased production, higher
income and mitigation of risk associated with seeds.(c): The Bill explicitly safeguards the rights of farmers to grow, sow, save, exchange, sell their
farm-saved seeds of any registered varieties. Further, the proposed Act will not be applicable
to the farmers and exemptions have also been provided for traditional varieties and farmers’
varieties.
(d): The draft Bill does not have any provision to create or confer any intellectual property
rights over seeds. Issues relating to intellectual property are governed separately under the
Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act (PPV&FRA), 2001. The Bill solely
focuses on seed quality regulation and does not facilitate corporate control over seeds or
dilute farmer’s rights.
(e): Extensive consultations have been held with farmers’ groups, seed experts, industry
associations, and State Governments over a period of time. Pre-legislative consultation has
also been conducted on draft Seed Bill and suggestions received have been examined. Due
procedure as prescribed is to be followed for its finalization and enactment.
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