Emphasis on reducing the role of the private sector in seed pricing

28-Oct-2025 08:12 PM

New Delhi. The Union Agriculture Minister wants to limit the role of the private sector in determining the prices of seeds for various crops.

He stated that while private companies play a significant role in seed production, marketing, and distribution, public sector firms also have their own importance. The performance of government seed corporations needs to be further improved. Improved performance could reduce the participation of private firms.

The Agriculture Minister has asked the public sector entity, the National Seeds Corporation (NSC), to prepare a roadmap to increase its share in the domestic seed market from the current level of 4 percent to 25 percent.

He assured that the government will make every effort to reduce the influence and dominance of private seed companies and further strengthen the NSC to maintain price stability in the seed market.

The Agriculture Minister stated that ensuring adequate availability of high-quality seeds is essential, and the National Seeds Corporation (NSC) can play a vital role in this regard.

The government is taking strict action against spurious and substandard seeds to ensure farmers have access to quality seeds. Five seed processing plants are being set up in Bareilly, Hassan, Surajgarh, Dharwad, and Raichur.

Advising the National Seed Corporation to set a target and make vigorous efforts to achieve it, the Agriculture Minister asked it to identify the challenges in its path so that they can be addressed in a timely manner. Currently, the NSC has a presence in approximately 550 districts of the country, while it has been asked to expand its operations to all other districts.