Higher penalty, regulating quality: What new Seeds Bill proposes, Pg17

Key Highlights:

• The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare released the draft Seeds Bill, 2025 on November 13, aiming to replace the Seeds Act, 1966.
• The bill proposes mandatory registration of seed varieties and stricter penalties, including fines up to Rs 30 lakh and imprisonment of up to three years, for selling spurious or non-registered seeds.
• In the past three years (2022-2025), 43,001 seed samples were found to be non-standard, with West Bengal accounting for 62% of these.
• India's annual seed requirement for 2024-25 was estimated at 48.20 lakh tonnes, while the availability was 53.15 lakh tonnes, with the seed market valued at approximately Rs 40,000 crore.

Detailed Insights:

• The existing Seeds Act, 1966 only regulates notified seeds and does not mandate seed registration, leading to the need for a new law to address gaps and increase penalties for violations.
• The Seeds Bill, 2025 aims to regulate seed quality for sale and import, ensure access to high-quality seeds at affordable rates, prevent the sale of spurious seeds, protect farmers from losses, and liberalize seed imports.
• The bill stipulates that all seed varieties, except farmer's varieties and those exclusively for export, must be registered, while existing varieties notified under the Seeds Act, 1966 will be considered registered under the new law.
• The ministry has invited public comments on the bill until December 11, after which the draft will be submitted to the Union Cabinet for approval and is expected to be introduced in Parliament during the Budget Session early next year.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Spurious Seeds: Seeds that do not meet the required quality standards and are often fake or adulterated.
• Seed Registration: The process of officially recording and approving a seed variety for sale and distribution.
• Farmers' Variety: Traditional seed varieties that have been developed and saved by farmers over generations.