Draft Seeds Bill disastrous, will lead to increase in seed prices: AIKS

New Delhi, Nov 17 (PTI) The All India Kisan Sabha on Monday termed the draft Seeds Bill, 2025, a "disastrous piece of legislation which will destroy agriculture", as it claimed that once the bill becomes a law, seeds would become costlier and may lead to corporate control.

It gave a call for protests against the draft Bill on November 26, which marks five years of farmers' protests on the borders of Delhi against the now-repealed three farm laws.

In a statement, the farmers' body claimed the draft Bill would create a conducive atmosphere for monopolies to indulge in predatory pricing of seeds.

"The AIKS is of the firm opinion that any new legislation regarding seeds -- such as the draft Seeds Bill 2025 -- must actively complement, not conflict with, the progressive legal safeguards already established under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Right Act, 2001, and India's international commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture," it said.

"To be precise, the new draft of the Seeds Bill, 2025, draws India's regulatory architecture on seeds substantially away from the provisions of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act, 2001, and actively shifts the balance in the seed sector in favour of big corporate players," it said.

AIKS President and CPI(M) Politburo member Ashok Dhawale said the proposed legislation would make seeds costlier and may lead to corporate control on the seeds sector.

"The draft Bill brought by the Narendra Modi-led BJP government is a very disastrous piece of legislation which will destroy agriculture, farmers and also have an impact on the people as a whole," Dhawale said.

"We condemn this bill for the simple reason that it is giving the entire seed sector into the hands of the corporate lobby, and once you give anything into the hands of the corporate lobby, both domestic and foreign, our experience so far has been that they will introduce extremely high pricing," he said.

Dhawale said it would "make the seeds much costlier than they are".

"This bill is also negating all the national and international commitments that we have already made. India has already made commitments to protect indigenous seeds and protect farmers, and all this actually is a violation of all those international and national commitments which India has made to its own farmers and to the world as a large," he added.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has released the draft Seeds Bill, 2025, for public consultation, inviting stakeholders to submit comments by December 11.

The proposed legislation aims to replace the Seeds Act, 1966 and the Seeds (Control) Order, 1983, bringing seed regulation in line with contemporary agricultural and market requirements, the government said.

Key objectives of the draft Bill include regulating seed quality, ensuring farmer access to affordable high-quality seeds, eliminating spurious products, liberalising seed imports for innovation, and protecting farmer rights through transparent supply chains. PTI AO AO NSD NSD