Seed Bill to Be Introduced Soon

12-Jan-2026 01:30 PM

New Delhi. It is understood that the central government has finalized the Seed Bill 2026 and it is likely to be introduced in Parliament during the upcoming Budget Session. The Budget Session of Parliament is scheduled to begin on January 28 and will continue until April 2, including a 25-day recess.

It is believed that no major changes have been made to the draft bill that the government publicly released in November 2025 and for which suggestions were invited from the public.

It is noteworthy that the existing Seed Act of 1966 came into effect in the country in 1968-69 and was last amended in 1972. However, the Seed Control Order has been amended from time to time.

In recent years, several attempts were made to prepare and implement a new seed law, but due to a lack of consensus among political parties, it could not be passed in Parliament. Previous seed bills were also strongly opposed by farmer organizations.

The Seed Bill was expected to be introduced in the last session of Parliament, as announced by the Union Agriculture Minister, but it could not be presented.

This bill contains provisions to regulate the quality of seeds and planting material available in the market, with the aim of providing farmers with high-quality seeds at reasonable prices.

There are frequent complaints of the sale of counterfeit, substandard, and adulterated seeds in the market, which causes heavy losses to farmers, and the government wants to curb this.

In addition, efforts will be made to liberalize the policy for importing good quality seeds from abroad so that their production can be increased in the country. This is expected to improve crop yields.