Draft Seeds Bill 2025 Aims to Stop Spurious Seeds and Support Farmers’ Rights

The central government has released the Draft Seeds Bill 2025 to make seed regulation modern, fair, and supportive of farmers. The goal is to ensure that farmers get high-quality seeds at affordable prices and are protected from fake or poor-quality seeds. The draft is open for public comments before it is presented in Parliament.

Draft Seeds Bill 2025 Aims to Stop Spurious Seeds and Support Farmers’ Rights

Replacing Old Seed Laws

This new Bill will replace two old laws:

Seeds Act 1966
Seeds (Control) Order 1983

The new rules will match today’s technology-driven agriculture and global seed trade. The Agriculture Ministry has allowed stakeholders to share suggestions until 11 December 2025.

Quality Control and Farmer Rights

The Bill requires registration of:

Seed dealers and distributors
Seed producers and processing units
Nurseries and certification agencies

Key provisions:
🌱 All seeds sold must have proper labelling and may include QR codes for quick verification.
🌱 Information must include seed variety, source, quality, and germination rate.
🌱 Farmers are free to save, use, exchange and sell seeds from their own crops without registration.
🌱 Farmers can claim compensation if a registered seed fails to perform as promised.

Penalties and Offences

To make business easier, offences are divided into trivial, minor, and major:

Type of Offence	First Penalty	Repeat Penalty
Trivial (e.g., certificate not displayed)	Written notice	₹50,000 (if repeated within 3 years)
Minor (e.g., misbranding, overcharging)	₹1 lakh	₹2 lakh
Major (e.g., spurious seed, unregistered seed sale)	₹10 lakh	₹20 lakh (second offence within 5 yrs)
Further major repeat	₹30 lakh + licence cancellation or up to 3 years jail	—

Industry Oversight and Innovation

The Bill strengthens monitoring through:

Central Seed Committee
Registration Sub-Committee
Technical groups for certification and testing

It also encourages import of new seed varieties under safety rules and supports innovation in genetically modified seeds with environmental checks. Only seed inspectors can start legal action, preventing unnecessary cases. Faster systems will help resolve farmer vs seed company disputes.

Exam-Oriented Notes

The Draft Seeds Bill 2025 will replace the Seeds Act 1966 and Seeds (Control) Order 1983.
Public comments are invited until 11 December 2025.
Farmers have the right to compensation if registered seeds fail to perform.
Penalties range from written notice to ₹30 lakh + 3 years imprisonment for major repeat offences.
Spurious seed = seed not true to type or failing minimum genetic purity standards.

Also Read

Question & Answer

Q1. The Draft Seeds Bill 2025 seeks to replace which existing law?
(a) Plant Varieties Act 2001
(b) Seeds Act 1966
(c) Fertilizer Control Order 1985
(d) Essential Commodities Act 1955
Answer: Seeds Act 1966

Q2. What is the last date for sending stakeholder comments on the Draft Seeds Bill 2025?
(a) 15 January 2026
(b) 11 December 2025
(c) 30 March 2025
(d) 1 August 2026
Answer: 11 December 2025

Q3. Which type of offence under the Bill initially attracts only a written notice?
(a) Major offence
(b) Minor offence
(c) Trivial offence
(d) Serious offence
Answer: Trivial offence

Q4. What is the penalty for a major repeat offence under the Draft Seeds Bill 2025?
(a) ₹1 lakh
(b) ₹50,000
(c) ₹30 lakh and possible imprisonment up to 3 years
(d) ₹2 lakh and written warning
Answer: ₹30 lakh and possible imprisonment up to 3 years

Q5. Which of the following rights is protected for farmers under the Bill?
(a) Import seeds without permission
(b) Save, use and exchange seed from own harvest
(c) Sell uncertified seed commercially in the global market
(d) Operate seed testing labs without registration
Answer: Save, use and exchange seed from own harvest

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