Seeds Bill 2025 won't apply to farmers and traditional seed varieties: Govt

New Delhi, Dec 16 (PTI) The proposed National Seeds Bill 2025 will not apply to farmers and their traditional seed varieties, with provisions protecting their right to save, exchange and sell farm-saved seeds, Minister of State for Agriculture Ram Nath Thakur told the Lok Sabha.

Responding to a written query, Thakur said the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has drafted the legislation after consulting various stakeholders, including farmers' organisations, to align with current requirements.

"The provisions of the Bill are not applicable to the farmers and farmers' varieties, including traditional varieties. The Bill protects the farmer's rights in conformity with the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act, 2001, to grow, sow, save, exchange and sell farm-saved seeds," Thakur said.

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.

It also provides for regulation of seed sale prices under emergent situations, compulsory labelling of seed performance, and mandatory onboarding on the SATHI portal to ensure quality of seeds following nationally determined standards supplied to farmers, he added.

Thakur said the draft Seeds Bill 2025 is currently at the pre-legislative consultation phase and has been put in the public domain to elicit inputs from stakeholders, including farmer organisations. PTI LUX CS HVA