Why are farmers, activists so vehemently opposed to NDA’s ‘Seeds Bill’

The government’s draft Seeds Bill, 2025 — the latest attempt to overhaul regulations governing the crucial seed sector — has not received the positive feedback it expected. Farmers and civil society organisations argue that the proposed law is more suited to seed companies and agribusinesses than ordinary cultivators, especially those dependent on traditional farming.

The Bill aims to replace the Seeds Act, 1966, and the Seed Control Order, 1983.

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Officials say the new law will improve the supply of quality seeds, curb counterfeits, and offer greater protection to farmers. But, as with the previous attempts in 2004 and 2019, the proposal has been drawing criticism from farmers and activists.

Farmers say the proposed legislation does not compensate cultivators against the underperformance of seeds. Meanwhile, according to Kavitha Kuruganti of the Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA-Kisan Swaraj), there are several red flags — the first being the description of the Bill that talks about “facilitation” of seed production and quality regulation but makes no mention of price regulation.

“It is already reflecting its bias. Although price regulation has been included — a positive development compared to the previous version — it applies only in “emergent” situations and not to all seeds. There is no mention of compensation for farmers when they incur losses due to sub-standard, misbranded, and spurious seeds. Nor is there any mention of protecting the rights of seed-producing farmers, even though all seed producers have to register themselves,” she said.

Another issue is the lack of authority to state governments, as the Centre has overriding powers. The legislation, if passed, will have an overriding effect on state legislation for seed trade regulation. Farmers’ varieties need not be registered, and farmers themselves are excluded from the purview of the proposed statute.

“One of the sections in the proposed statute lays out a wholesale red carpet for big corporations and MNCs, effectively trampling upon the authority of state governments. There are also provisions that, in effect, ridicule the entire ICAR system of varietal evaluation by allowing foreign evaluations, assessments, and certification,” Kavitha said.

However, according to the industry, the legislation would create a conducive ecosystem for the production of quality seeds by genuine players.

India’s seed industry is valued at around $3.82 billion.