Draft law framed to curb counterfeit, substandard seeds

18-Nov-2025 01:54 PM

New Delhi. The Central Government has released the draft of the Seeds Bill 2025, which proposes significantly stricter regulations for the Indian seed sector.

These include mandatory registration of various seed varieties, licensing for all producers, and a tiered penalty system.

Once enacted, the bill will empower the government to impose fines of up to ₹30 lakh and imprisonment of up to three years against repeat violators of shipping provisions.

The draft bill, released by the Union Agriculture Ministry on November 12, 2025, will replace the Seeds Act, 1966, as well as the Seeds (Control) Order, 1983.

The new bill aims to regulate the quality of seeds for sale and import, ensure adequate availability of certified varieties of seeds, and implement a legal framework for governing seed production and trade.

This proposed new law states that no variety of seed can be marketed or distributed unless it is registered under this Act. However, seeds produced by farmers for their own use and seeds produced by other producers solely for export purposes are excluded from this regulation.

This means that only seeds produced for commercial trade within the domestic sector will be included.

The bill also provides for a National Register for different varieties and grades of seeds. This will be monitored by a Registrar appointed by the Centre.

In many states across the country, complaints have been continuously received about the trade of substandard or counterfeit seeds, which not only impacts production but also affects farmers' income. The government is going to enact strict laws to curb this.

The new law could prove to be very effective in tightening the noose on producers and sellers of substandard seeds.