Rs 30L fine, jail in draft Bill to curb sale of low-quality seeds, Pg11

Key Highlights:

• The draft Seeds Bill, 2025, proposes a penalty of Rs 30 lakh and up to three years imprisonment for selling poor-quality seeds.
• The Bill, released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, mandates the registration of seed varieties.
• It aims to replace the Seeds Act of 1966.
• The draft Bill categorizes offenses into trivial, minor, and major, with stringent penalties for major offenses like selling spurious or non-registered seeds.
• Comments on the draft are invited until December 11.

Detailed Insights:

• The Bill mandates registration of all seed varieties except farmers' varieties and those produced exclusively for export.
• Existing varieties notified under the Seeds Act, 1966, will be considered registered under the new law.
• Major offenses include supplying spurious seeds, non-registered seeds, and operating without registration as a dealer, distributor, producer, or plant nursery.
• The Bill aims to regulate seed quality for sale and import, facilitating the production and supply of quality seeds.
• Previous attempts to enact similar bills in 2004 and 2019 were unsuccessful.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Spurious Seeds: Seeds that do not conform to prescribed standards, often of low quality or fake.
• Seed Registration: Mandatory process of recording seed varieties to ensure quality control and traceability.
• Seeds Act: Law governing the quality, production, and distribution of seeds.