The government is preparing to bring the Seeds Bill, 2025 to Parliament during the first phase of the Budget session in February, signalling a renewed push to update India’s seed law framework that has remained largely unchanged for nearly six decades.
Agriculture secretary Devesh Chaturvedi said the draft legislation has drawn wide public response.
“We have received 9,000 applications with suggestions for the Seeds Bill 2025. We will process them and put a cabinet note. Our target is to first bring this bill in the first phase of the Budget session,” he told PTI.
The deadline for public comments on the draft bill closed on December 11, 2024. The Seeds Bill, 2025 seeks to replace the Seeds Act of 1966 and introduces compulsory registration of seed varieties, dealers and producers.
The aim is to ensure quality control and traceability, with provisions such as QR codes on seed packets to help farmers access details about the product.
The proposed law also provides for the creation of central and state seed committees to oversee regulation and implementation.
At the same time, the draft bill retains farmers’ rights to save, use, exchange and share farm-saved seeds without requiring registration, a clause that has been closely watched by farmer groups during consultations.
The bill also lays down a graded penalty structure. For individual violations, fines range from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 30 lakh, with imprisonment provisions depending on the seriousness of the offence. Jail terms can extend up to three years.
In cases where an offence is committed by a company, accountability has been clearly defined. The person in charge of the company at the time of the violation, and responsible for its business operations, will face action under the law.
Alongside the Seeds Bill, the agriculture ministry is also lining up other legislative business.
Chaturvedi said the Pesticides Management Bill, 2020 is expected to be tabled after the Parliament recess, indicating a broader effort to update laws governing inputs critical to Indian agriculture.
