**Executive Summary**
The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has published an update regarding regulations to combat spurious seeds. The update highlights existing legal frameworks empowering State Governments, the SATHI portal for seed traceability, and initiatives under NFSNM and PPV&FR Act to support traditional varieties. It also discusses financial support for seed production and research to ensure affordable prices and availability of quality seeds for farmers until 2025-26.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Empowering States Against Spurious Seeds:**
* The Seeds Act, 1966, Seed Rules, 1968, and Seeds (Control) Order, 1983 empower State Governments to appoint Seed Inspectors for enforcement actions against spurious seeds.
* **SATHI Portal:**
* The Government of India launched the Seed Authentication, Traceability & Holistic Inventory (SATHI) portal for end-to-end digital seed traceability to enhance transparency and prevent the circulation of substandard seeds.
* Advisories are issued to States/UTs to ensure strict implementation of legal frameworks to prevent the sale of spurious seeds.
* **Protecting Traditional Varieties:**
* The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Act, 2001 & Biological Diversity Act, 2002 protect traditional varieties; farmers have the right to save, use, sow, re-sow, exchange, share, or sell their own farm saved seeds.
* **National Food Security and Nutrition Mission (NFSNM):**
* Provides assistance for boosting seed production of traditional varieties, including seed distribution at 50% cost, incentives for seed production, capacity building programs, and one-time assistance for community seed banks.
* **Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights (PPV&FR) Act, 2001:**
* Encourages conservation and cultivation of indigenous traditional varieties through registration, recognition, and financial support.
* Provides up to ₹15 lakh financial support for conservation by farmers, in accordance with PPVFR Rules, 2025.
* **Seed Dealer Licensing and Pricing:**
* Seed dealers must obtain a license under the Seeds (Control) Order, 1983.
* The Cotton Seeds Price (Control) Order, 2015, under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 ensures fair pricing of Bt. cotton hybrid seeds.
* **Financial Assistance for Seed Production and Research:**
* Financial assistance is provided to ICAR, SAUs, and the public sector to strengthen seed infrastructure and facilitate seed-related research.
* Focus on developing high-yielding, stress-tolerant, and climate-resilient varieties.
* 3236 high-yielding varieties (including 2,996 climate-resilient) of field crops released and notified from 2014 to 2025-26.
* **Affordable Seed Availability:**
* Financial assistance is given to States/UTs and public sector agencies for seed-related activities, including seed purchase, quality seed distribution, infrastructure support, and free distribution of minikits.
**Impact Analysis**
**State Governments**
* **Impact:** Empowered to take enforcement action against spurious seeds, including appointing seed inspectors, cancelling licenses, seizing stock, and prosecuting violators.
* **Action Required:** Implement existing legal frameworks to step up vigilance on storage and sales of seeds.
**Farmers**
* **Impact:** Protected through measures curbing spurious seeds and supporting traditional varieties.
* **Action Required:** Understand rights under the PPV&FR Act regarding saving, using, and selling farm-saved seeds.
**Seed Dealers, Companies and Firms**
* **Impact:** Required to obtain seed dealer licenses.
* **Action Required:** Obtain Seed Dealer License
**Agricultural Research Institutions (ICAR, SAUs)**
* **Impact:** Receives financial assistance to strengthen seed infrastructure and research activities.
* **Action Required:** Utilise resources to develop high-yielding, stress-tolerant, and climate-resilient seed varieties.
Key Entities Referenced
Seeds Act, 1966: Empowers State Governments to regulate seed quality, curb spurious seeds, appoint Seed Inspectors, and take enforcement action.
Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act, 2001: Protects traditional varieties and farmers' rights, encouraging conservation and cultivation of indigenous traditional varieties.
Seeds (Control) Order, 1983: Requires seed dealers to obtain a license and empowers states to regulate seed business.
National Food Security and Nutrition Mission (NFSNM): Provides assistance for boosting seed production of traditional varieties, seed production incentives, and capacity building programmes.
Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare: The primary governmental body responsible for policies and initiatives related to agriculture and farmers' welfare.
Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
Seeds Act and Allied Regulations Empower
States to Act against Spurious Seeds
Posted On: 06 FEB 2026 6:33PM by PIB Delhi
To regulate seed quality and curb the sale of spurious seeds, the Seeds Act, 1966, the Seed Rules, 1968 and
Seeds (Control) Order, 1983 empower State Governments to appoint Seed Inspectors to inspect seed outlets,
draw samples and take enforcement action including cancellation of licences, seizure of stocks, stop-sale
orders and prosecution against violators.
Further, Government of India has also launched Seed Authentication, Traceability & Holistic Inventory
(SATHI) portal to enable end-to-end digital traceability of seeds across the supply chain, enhancing
transparency and helping prevent the circulation of spurious/sub-standard seeds.Government of India also
issue advisories to all the States/UTs, to ensure implementation of existing legal framework strictly to step
up the vigil on the storage, sale point of dealers /retailers etc. to check the sale of spurious/ sub-standard
seeds.
In order to protect the traditional varietiesseed, provisions already available under the Protection of Plant
Varieties and Farmers Rights Act, 2001 & Biological Diversity Act, 2002 to conserve and sustainable use of
traditional and Farmer’s varieties. Farmers have right to save, use, sow, re-sow, exchange, share or sell their
own farm saved seeds.
This information was given by Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Ramnath
Thakur in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
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RC/PU/828
Under the National Food Security and Nutrition Mission (NFSNM), assistance is provided for boosting seed
production of traditional varieties through the distribution of seeds at 50% cost, Seed production incentives
of ₹1000 per quintal for cereals and millets and ₹2000 per quintal for pulses and oilseeds, Capacity building
programmes and also One-time assistance of ₹50 lakh for establishment of community seed banks.
Further, under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FR) Act, 2001, farmers are
encouraged to conserve and cultivate indigenous traditional varieties by:
Registration of farmers’ varieties with intellectual property protection.
Recognition through Plant Genome Saviour Community Awards, Farmer Rewards and Farmer
Recognitions.
Financial support up to ₹15 lakh for conservation of traditional varieties by farmers in accordance with
PPVFR (utilization of National Gene Fund for conservation and sustainable use of plant Genetic
Resources) Rules, 2025.(b):Any person, seed companies and firms to operate seed business, has to obtain Seed dealer license
under the clause 3 of the Seeds (Control) Order, 1983 from the concerned State Government. Further,
Horticulture nurseries are registered and regulated under the Nursery Acts by the concerned State.
(c):Governmentof India has promulgated the Cotton Seeds Price (Control) Order, 2015 under theEssential
Commodities Act, 1955to ensure fair pricing of Bt. cotton hybrid seeds and maximum sale prices of Bt.
cotton seeds are fixed every year.
(d):The financial assistance is provided to Indian Council of Agricultural Research Institutes(ICAR),
State Agriculture Universities(SAUs) and public sector including strengthening seed infrastructure
facilities to facilitate seed related research activities viz. development of high-yielding, stress-tolerant and
climate-resilient seed and bio-fortified varieties suitable for different agro-climatic conditions to make
available of quality seeds at affordable prices to farmers (including small farmers). From the 2014 to 2025-
26, 3236 high-yielding (including 2,996 climate-resilient) varieties seed of field crops have been
released and notified.
Furthermore, the several steps have been taken to make seeds available at affordable prices to farmers,
which includes, financial assistance to the States/UTs and public sector implementing agencies for seed-
related activities including purchase of breeder seeds, distribution of quality seeds, strengthening seed
infrastructure, support for Strategic Adaptive Research project and free distribution of minikits of new High
Yielding Varieties (HYVs) of pulses and Nutri-cereals, under schemes such as National Food Security and
Nutrition Mission (NFSNM), National Mission on Edible Oils–Oilseeds and RashtriyaKrishiVikasYojana
(RKVY). These interventions enhance productivity and help reduce cost of cultivation. Production of seeds
in public sector is also encouraged to ensure availability of quality seeds at affordable prices to farmers.
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