The Indian government’s Draft Seeds Bill, 2025, which is its latest attempt to overhaul regulations governing the seed sector, aims to replace the Seeds Act, 1966, and the Seed Control Order, 1983. Officials say the new law will improve the supply of quality seeds, curb counterfeits and offer greater protection to farmers.
But, as with previous attempts in 2004 and 2019, the Bill has drawn sharp criticism. Farmer groups, seed experts and civil society organisations argue that the proposed law is better suited to seed companies and agribusinesses than to ordinary cultivators, particularly those relying on traditional, chemical-free farming.
Seed expert Bharat Mansata, a member of the Bharat Beej Swaraj Manch, warned that the draft legislation “seems to be more for the benefit of seed companies and agri-business rather than for common farmers, especially farmers preferring traditional seeds to farm organically without chemical inputs”.
The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare says the Bill responds to an increasingly complex seed market and growing financial losses caused by sub-standard seeds. It introduces several major regulatory changes:
Mandatory registration of seed varieties: All seed varieties will require registration, except farmers’ traditional varieties and seeds meant solely for export. Before approval, varieties must undergo Value for Cultivation and Use (VCU) testing across multiple locations. Only those meeting minimum germination and purity standards may be sold.
Stronger market controls and traceability: Seed dealers and distributors must obtain a state-issued registration certificate to sell, import or export seeds. Every seed container must carry a QR code generated through the central government’s Seed Traceability Portal to enable end-to-end tracking.
Easier compliance for large companies: A proposed Central Accreditation System would allow companies accredited at the national level to receive automatic recognition across all states — a measure critics say overwhelmingly benefits big corporations.
Penalties: Minor offences, such as selling sub-standard seeds or failing to update information on the SATHI portal, attract fines starting at Rs 1 lakh. Major violations — including selling spurious or unregistered seeds — could result in fines of up to Rs 30 lakh and prison terms of up to three years.
Farmers’ rights: The Bill affirms an individual farmer’s right to “grow, sow, re-sow, save, use, exchange, share or sell” farm-saved seeds, with the proviso that they cannot be sold under a company brand name. New central and state seeds committees would oversee implementation.
1. No simple route to compensation
If faulty seeds lead to crop failure, farmers would still need to pursue compensation through the courts — a process many small farmers lack the resources to undertake. Critics argue the Bill offers no practical or accessible mechanism for redress.
2. Community seed keepers excluded
While individual farmers may save and share seeds, community groups — such as Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), women’s seed collectives and traditional seed-saving networks — would be classified as commercial entities. They would be subject to the same bureaucratic and digital compliance requirements as large companies.
Mansata warns that this could facilitate the exploitation of India’s genetic heritage, noting:
“The Seed Bill, combined with proposed changes to ITPGRFA and PPVFRA, could effectively legalise biopiracy of our rich genetic heritage.”
3. Corporate bias and digital burden
VCU trials, critics say, favour uniform hybrid seeds typically produced by larger companies. Indigenous, diverse and climate-resilient varieties may struggle to meet the standardised criteria and could gradually disappear from formal markets.
The Bill also demands extensive digital reporting. QR codes, online submissions and continuous tracking pose challenges for small rural seed keepers with limited internet access or digital literacy.
4. Loophole for foreign seeds
The Bill allows foreign organisations to be recognised for VCU testing. Critics fear this could allow genetically modified or patented seeds to enter India based on overseas assessments alone.
Mansata argues that if genetically engineered or gene-edited seeds are allowed in without stringent oversight, “the hazards posed to human and ecosystem health would greatly multiply; and small farmers would be rendered even more unviable”.
He warns that worsening distress could have grave social consequences:
“Farmer suicides may then become an epidemic with a far greater toll than Covid, yet our farmers are being treated as dispensable.”