Draft Seeds Bill 2025 Proposes Stricter Penalties and Seed Traceability to Protect Farmers

The draft Seeds Bill 2025, set to be introduced in the upcoming Budget Session, aims to replace the 1966 Seeds Act by enhancing seed quality, traceability, and farmer protection. Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan emphasized that farmers' rights to save, use, exchange, and sell traditional seeds remain unaffected. The bill proposes fines up to Rs 30 lakh and imprisonment for illegal seed production and sale, alongside QR code-based traceability to curb substandard and fake seeds, ensuring transparency and accountability in the seed market.