New Delhi, November 13: The Government of India has invited public comments on the Draft Seeds Bill, 2025, a major legislative reform aimed at ensuring the availability of high-quality seeds to farmers, protecting their rights, and modernizing India’s seed regulation framework. The Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare released the draft Bill on Thursday, calling for feedback from stakeholders and the general public by December 11, 2025.
The proposed law will replace the Seeds Act, 1966 and the Seeds (Control) Order, 1983, aligning India’s seed laws with contemporary agricultural and regulatory needs. The new Bill seeks to regulate the quality of seeds and planting materials available in the market, prevent the sale of spurious and poor-quality seeds, and ensure that farmers get access to reliable and affordable varieties. It also aims to promote innovation by liberalizing seed imports, encouraging the introduction of globally competitive varieties while upholding the rights and welfare of farmers.
The draft Bill includes provisions to decriminalize minor offences, reducing the compliance burden on seed companies and promoting Ease of Doing Business, while retaining stringent penalties for serious violations. It also focuses on greater transparency and accountability across the seed supply chain to prevent exploitation and ensure fair practices.
The draft Seeds Bill, 2025, and a prescribed feedback format are available on the Ministry’s official website https://agriwelfare.gov.in. Stakeholders, including farmers, seed producers, researchers, and industry associations, have been encouraged to send their comments and suggestions to jsseeds-agri[at]gov[dot]in in MS Word or PDF format before the December 11 deadline.
Officials said the Bill reflects the government’s broader efforts to reform agricultural legislation and strengthen India’s agri-input ecosystem in line with global best practices. Once finalized, the Seeds Bill, 2025, is expected to significantly enhance the quality assurance framework for seeds, improve productivity, and reinforce India’s vision of a more resilient and competitive farm sector.
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