Why in the News?

The draft Seeds Bill has been introduced to replace the outdated Seeds Act of 1966, driven by a dual necessity: the seed industry’s demand for a modern, quality-focused regulatory framework, and the government’s aim to streamline standards. However, its introduction has triggered strong opposition from farmer organizations, like the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), who fear the Bill is “anti-farmer” and will lead to the corporatization of the seed sector and a dilution of their rights.

Salient Provisions of the Draft Seeds Bill

The proposed Bill aims to establish a comprehensive, centralized, and quality-centric framework for seed governance.

Regulatory Mechanism and Quality Control

The core of the Bill is the establishment of a robust system for standardization and compliance:

• Mandatory Registration: It mandates the registration of all seeds and planting material (including sprouts, cuttings, and tissue culture) before they can be sold or traded.
• Centralised Authority: A Central Seed Committee (CSC) and a Central Seed Registration Committee (CSRC) are proposed to determine and enforce minimum standards for quality parameters like germination, genetic purity, and physical purity.
• Stricter Penalties: The Bill proposes significantly increased fines (up to ₹5 lakh) and imprisonment for producing and supplying sub-standard or misbranded seeds, tightening the enforcement mechanism considerably compared to the 1966 Act.

Farmers’ Rights and Restrictions

While seeking to regulate the commercial market, the Bill also attempts to address the traditional rights of farmers:

• Right to Farm Seeds: Farmers retain the right to save, use, exchange, share, or sell the seed or planting material produced on their own farms.
• Restriction on Sale: This right is qualified by the provision that farmers cannot sell such farm-saved seeds under a brand name, which seeks to differentiate traditional practice from commercial trade.

Integration with IPR Regime

The Bill explicitly links the regulation of seeds to India’s intellectual property commitments:

• PVPFR Act Enforcement: It incorporates provisions for the enforcement of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act (PVPFR Act), 2001, which safeguards both breeders’ rights and farmers’ traditional rights.
• International Treaties: It mandates compliance with international agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA).

Critical Analysis: Opportunities and Concerns

The following analysis highlights the dual impact of the Bill on agricultural policy and stakeholders.

Aspect of the Bill	Positive Implications (Opportunities)	Concerns and Challenges (Critical Analysis)
Seed Quality & Market	Consumer Protection: Mandatory registration and strict penalties shield farmers from fraudulent seeds, ensuring quality assurance and better yields.	Regulatory Burden: The high cost and complexity of centralized registration may marginalize small producers, creating a market that favors large corporate entities.
Market Structure	Investment & Innovation: Strong IPR and standardized procedures attract greater private investment in seed R&D, leading to new, improved crop varieties.	Corporatisation & Dominance: Fear that the framework could facilitate market dominance by Multinational Corporations (MNCs), resulting in high prices and loss of choice (seed monopolies).
Farmers’ Rights	Retention of Rights: Clearly defines the right to save and exchange seeds, preserving essential aspects of traditional farming practices.	Dilution of PVPFR Act: The “brand name” restriction is seen as encroaching upon the farmer’s right to sell small quantities of seed, thereby conflicting with the spirit of the PVPFR Act.
Governance	Clarity and Uniformity: Central oversight provides uniform quality standards and streamlines the regulatory process across all states.	Heavy Centralisation: A centralized system risks overlooking regional specificities and weakening community-based conservation and local institutional capacity.

The Way Forward

To create a robust and equitable legal framework, the final Seeds Bill must find a working equilibrium between market efficiency and farmer welfare.

• Protecting the PVPFR Act: The government must ensure that the provisions concerning farmers’ rights are explicitly aligned with, and do not undermine, the protective clauses of the PVPFR Act.
• Decentralized Implementation: While the Central Committee sets the standards, power must be delegated to State Seed Committees to facilitate local-level registration and conservation of traditional and farmer-bred varieties.
• Price Regulation: Mechanisms must be introduced to safeguard farmers against predatory pricing of proprietary and high-value seeds, possibly through regulatory price capping or monitoring.
• Inclusive Dialogue: Comprehensive consultation with farmer representatives is essential to integrate ground realities and secure the buy-in necessary for the Bill’s successful implementation.

Source: What does the draft Seeds Bill entail? | Explained – The Hindu

UPSC CSE PYQ

Year	Questions
2019	What are the challenges and opportunities of food processing sector in the country? How can income of the farmers be substantially increased by encouraging food processing?
2017	How do subsidies affect the cropping pattern, crop diversity and economy of farmers? What is the significance of crop insurance, minimum support price and food processing for small and marginal farmers?
2016	Given the vulnerability of Indian agriculture to vagaries of nature, discuss the need for crop insurance and bring out the salient features of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).
2013	What are the different types of agriculture subsidies given to farmers at the national and at state levels? Critically analyse the agricultural subsidy regime with reference to the distortions created by it.