The National Seeds Bill 2025, whose draft resolution was introduced by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on November 13 this year, will not apply to farmers or their traditional seed varieties, said Minister of State for Agriculture, Ram Nath Thakur, on Tuesday.
Responding to a written query in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing Winter session of the Parliament, Thakur said the Bill has provisions to protect farmers’ rights to save, exchange and sell farm-saved seeds.
“The provisions of the Bill are not applicable to the farmers and farmers’ varieties, including traditional varieties. The Bill protects the farmers’ rights in conformity with the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001, to grow, sow, save, exchange and sell farm-saved seeds,” he said.
Designed to replace the nearly-60-year-old Seeds Act of 1966 and the Seeds (Control) Order of 1983, the National Seeds Bill 2025 aims to modernise seed regulation, curb the sale of spurious seeds, and integrate digital tracking into the agricultural supply chain.
Amongst other key features, it requires all seed varieties sold commercially to be registered with the government, for seed packets to carry QR codes that link it to the central SATHI portal, and the classification of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) as commercial entities.
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Since it came into the public domain to elicit inputs from stakeholders, including farmer organisations, the Bill has attracted concerns and criticism, including those surrounding the entry of genetically modified (GM) varieties or patented foreign seeds by allowing the recognition of foreign organisations for Value for Cultivation and Use (VCU) testing.
However, Thakur said the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has drafted the legislation after consulting various stakeholders, including farmers’ organisations, so as to align with current requirements.
He said various provisions under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, and the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001, are also available to safeguard farmers, community seed growers, and traditional and indigenous seed varieties.
“The Bill has provisions for compulsory registration of all varieties sold in the market, registration of seed producers, seed processing units and dealers, and registration of plant nurseries,” the minister said.
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