Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Economy | Agriculture
Why in news?
The draft of the Seeds Bill, 2025, recently released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
The draft bill seeks to replace the existing Seeds Act, 1966 & Seeds (Control) Order, 1983.
Objective – To regulate the quality, sale, import, and export of seeds; ensure availability of quality seeds to farmers; and promote private sector participation.
Key provisions
Mandatory Registration –All seed varieties for sale must be registered, and all seed producers, processors, and dealers must also be registered and licensed to operate.
Quality Control –It ensures that all seeds meet minimum standards for germination, purity, traits, and health as per Indian Minimum Seed Certification Standards.
Import & Innovation – The Central Government can allow the import of unregistered seed varieties for research & trial purposes (such imports must meet specific conditions set by the government).
Liberalized import norms to promote access to global seed varieties & technologies in India.
Implemented by –It defines the constitution and roles of Central & State Seeds Committees to oversee implementation.
Validity – The initial registration for a new seed variety is valid to encourage innovation -
15 years for annual and biennial crops.
18 years for long-duration perennial crops.
Penalties –3 categories of offenses -
Trivial - Involve procedural lapses like delayed registration renewal; penalized with warnings or small fines to ease compliance.
Minor - Include mislabeling or non-disclosure of seed data; attract moderate fines or suspension of registration.
Major - Cover serious violations like selling spurious seeds or fraud; subject to heavy fines and possible imprisonment (maxi punishment - Fine up to Rs. 30 lakh, Jail term up to 3 years)
Deregulation of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) – would remove their sole authority over approving crop variety trials, allowing other accredited entities to participate in the testing process.
Farmer Rights & Exemptions –The Bill protects a farmer's right to save, use, exchange, or sell their own farm seeds without registration, provided they do not sell them under a brand name.
Appellate Authority –The Central Government will establish single or multi-person authorities to handle appeals regarding disputes over licensing, registration, cancellation and potential compensation claims.
Compensation –If seeds fail to perform as expected, a farmer can claim compensation, potentially through a new speedy dispute resolution mechanism.
