The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is working on a new national law to replace the existing Seed Act of 1966. Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan recently met with leaders from around 20 farmer organisations across India to gather their views on the proposed legislation. The new law aims to curb the sale of fake and low-quality seeds while protecting farmers’ traditional rights.
What the proposed law contains
Currently, about 70% of seeds fall outside the scope of the existing law, creating gaps in regulation. The government received approximately 18,000 suggestions from farmers and organisations when it invited public comments on the draft act in November-December 2025.
Key features of the proposed legislation include:
- All seeds sold commercially must be registered in a national register and carry QR codes for complete traceability from manufacture to sale
- Unregistered seeds cannot be sold legally
- Three categories of offences with increasing penalties: minor violations attract warnings or fines up to Rs 50,000; deliberate violations such as incorrect labelling carry fines up to Rs 2 lakh; serious offences like selling fake seeds or operating without registration draw penalties up to Rs 30 lakh and imprisonment
- Every state will have a Seed Security Fund to compensate farmers for seed failure within 15 days
- State governments will gain faster powers to approve new seed varieties suited to their regional climate and soil conditions
- Farmers retain full rights to use, exchange and sell traditional and local seed varieties without mandatory registration
What this means for you
If you are a farmer, the law protects your ability to save, share and use traditional seeds as you have always done. If you buy commercial seeds, you will be able to scan QR codes to verify authenticity and trace where the seeds came from. If seeds fail to perform and cause losses, state-level committees must verify and arrange compensation within 15 days. The government has stated there is no fixed deadline for finalising the law and will continue consulting farmers before it is passed.