Possibility of Making Seed and Pesticide Rules Stricter

20-Jun-2025 08:38 PM

New Delhi. The Union Agriculture Minister has indicated that the government may consider amending the rules and laws related to seeds and pesticides to ensure farmers have access to adequate stock of high-quality seeds and genuine pesticides at reasonable prices.

The minister noted that farmers have repeatedly raised concerns about the availability of poor-quality seeds and counterfeit pesticides, which continue to affect agricultural productivity.

These concerns were prominently raised during the Vikasit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan, an all-India campaign launched by the Ministry of Agriculture to better understand the issues faced by the farming community.

The campaign began on 29 May 2025 in Puri (Jagannathpuri), Odisha, and concluded on 12 June in Bardoli, Gujarat.

Sharing the outcomes of the campaign, the Agriculture Minister stated that it had been largely successful in achieving its objective.

Through this initiative, direct communication was established with approximately 1.34 crore farmers across 1.43 lakh villages in 721 districts.

A total of 60,281 programmes were conducted, particularly in tribal, backward, and border districts, helping officials gather on-ground insights into the real challenges faced by farmers.

The minister emphasized that stricter regulations may be introduced, if required, to curb the supply of substandard seeds and fake pesticides and to protect the interests of farmers across the country.