Agri Experts Slam Centre’s Draft Seeds Bill, State Seeks Guarantees For Farmers

The Union agriculture ministry released the draft Bill on November 12, 2025, proposing to replace the Seeds Act of 1966. The government said the legislation aims to strengthen quality control following reports of widespread circulation of spurious seeds that have caused losses to farmers. The Centre invited public feedback and comments on the draft until December 11 after receiving representations from farmers’ bodies and state governments.

The draft Bill proposes mandatory registration of all commercially sold seed varieties, both public and private, based on Value for Cultivation and Use (VCU) performance. It also proposes QR code-based traceability and stricter standards for germination and seed health.

The Bill states that farmers can continue to save, exchange and sell farm-saved seeds, except branded varieties. It also proposes compensation mechanisms for underperforming registered seeds and prescribes penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment in cases of fraud. A central seed committee is proposed to oversee a zone-based regulatory system and accredit agencies nationally to facilitate interstate trade, while allowing imports of tested seed varieties.

However, farmers’ organisations and some state governments have raised concerns that the bill centralises regulatory powers and does not adequately address compensation for crop losses caused by faulty seeds. Experts have also warned that the proposed framework could undermine traditional practices and indigenous seed varieties.

Farmers in rain-fed regions of southern India, including Telangana, rely on locally adapted varieties of paddy and millets. Critics argue that increased reliance on uniform hybrid seeds could lead to genetic erosion and greater dependence on commercial seed suppliers, placing additional financial pressure on small landholders.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has also raised objections to the draft, while the Samyukta Kisan Morcha has alleged that the proposed law could open the door for genetically modified seeds and does not provide an effective grievance redressal mechanism for small farmers, who constitute the majority of landholders.

In Telangana, the state government, agriculture university experts and farmers’ unions have sought amendments to the Bill. Agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao said states would have limited authority to enforce the law without explicit provisions.

“The Centre encroaches on state issues, reducing our rights. For farmers of local level, in local regions with local weather conditions, the local governments must have control over it,” he said at a state-level stakeholders’ consultation on the draft bill.

The state government has sought clear compensation provisions for farmers affected by crop losses due to faulty seeds, greater regulatory powers for states and safeguards to address the problem of spurious seeds. Telangana accounts for more than 40 per cent of India’s seed production but has also faced issues related to fake seeds.

Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University vice-chancellor Aldas Janaiah submitted a representation highlighting 13 concerns in the draft bill, including reliance on data generated by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research for seed registration.

“State seed committees must register varieties tested locally for at least one season, with mandatory certification by recognised agencies for marketed seeds,” he said, while also recommending minimum educational qualifications for seed dealers, state powers for emergency price regulation and two-year multi-location trials for imported seeds.

Telangana Kisan Congress chairman S. Anvesh Reddy submitted suggestions to the Centre, stating that seeds respond to agro-climatic conditions rather than administrative boundaries. He proposed that registration should primarily take place at the state level, with varieties tested across multiple agro-climatic zones being recognised as national varieties.

Farmers’ organisations, including the All India Kisan Sabha, have opposed the draft Bill, alleging that it could strengthen corporate control over the seed sector while increasing input costs for farmers and weakening the role of the public sector.

National vice-president Sarampally Mallareddy criticised the draft Bill and said farmers in Telangana already suffer losses on about five lakh acres every year due to spurious seeds. He also alleged that the draft does not provide time-bound compensation for affected farmers and places the burden of proof on growers seeking relief.

Bill Guarantees vs Opposition Concerns

Bill Guarantees

1. Mandatory registration with VCU tests for quality seeds

2. Compensation for underperforming registered seeds

3. Farmers can save/exchange unbranded farm-saved seeds

4. QR codes and traceability for spurious seed crackdown

5. Zone-based committees for interstate trade

6. Penalties for fraud (fines to jail)

Concerns of farm bodies and state governments

1. No mechanism to save affected farmers

2. Burdens small farmers

3. Pushes dependency on costly branded hybrids, eroding traditional practices

4. Centralises control, stripping states' rights

5. Risks of untested imports/GM seeds, threatening biodiversity and food sovereignty

6. Enables bio-piracy of indigenous varieties