"Government Proposes Stringent New Seed Act to Protect Farmers"
Seeds Act, 1966
Central legislation setting minimum quality standards and certification norms for seeds sold commercially in India.
Seed Replacement Rate (SRR)
Share of total sown area using certified or quality-declared seeds purchased from formal sources, not farm-saved seed.
India's seed sector is governed by the Seeds Act, 1966, a legislation now over five decades old. The Act established minimum quality standards for seeds sold commercially and created a system of seed certification. However, enforcement has remained weak. The Seeds (Control) Order, 1983, issued under the Essential Commodities Act, added further regulatory teeth, but the overall framework has struggled to keep pace with the growth of a large, fragmented private seed industry.
The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights (PPV&FR) Act, 2001 is the other major pillar of India's seed law. It protects breeders' rights over new plant varieties while simultaneously recognising farmers' rights to save, use, sow, resow, exchange, and sell farm-saved seed. Crucially, plant varieties are not patentable under the Indian Patents Act, they are protected exclusively through the PPV&FR framework. This distinction matters because it shapes what legal remedies are available when a farmer is sold a variety that does not perform as claimed.
A persistent structural problem in the seed sector is the Seed Replacement Rate (SRR), the proportion of the total seed area sown with certified or quality-declared seeds purchased from formal sources, rather than farm-saved seed. India's SRR varies sharply by crop. It is high for hybrid crops like cotton and vegetables, where farm-saved seed loses its hybrid vigour. For low-value, high-volume crops like pulses and oilseeds, the SRR remains low, partly because of a genuine demand-supply gap: the formal seed system does not produce enough certified seed of these varieties at affordable prices. This gap creates space for spurious and substandard seeds to enter the market. The Seed Village Concept, promoted by the government, tries to address this by training farmers in quality seed production so that villages can supply certified seed to neighbouring areas at appropriate times and affordable cost, reducing dependence on distant or unverified commercial sources.
Fake and substandard seeds are a major source of agricultural loss in India. A farmer who sows a spurious seed may not discover the problem until the crop fails at harvest, months after the purchase, when legal recourse is difficult. The harm is compounded because seeds determine the entire production cycle: a bad seed cannot be corrected mid-season.
The existing Seeds Act, 1966 does not provide for imprisonment of offenders. Penalties are low and rarely enforced. State seed testing laboratories are under-resourced, and the seed certification system is voluntary for most crops (mandatory only for notified varieties). This regulatory gap has allowed a parallel market of uncertified, mislabelled, and adulterated seeds to persist.
The proposed new Seed Act is expected to address several of these gaps. …
Which one of the following best describes the main objective of 'Seed Village Concept'?
In the context of food and nutritional security of India, enhancing the 'Seed Replacement Rates' of various crops helps in achieving the food production targets of the future. But what is/are the constraint/constraints in its wider/greater implementation?
1.There is no National Seeds Policy in place.
2.There is no participation of private sector seed companies in the supply of quality seeds of vegetables and planting materials of horticultural crops.
3.There is a demand-supply gap regarding quality seeds in case of low value and high volume crops.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Consider the following statements:
1.According to the Indian Patents Act, a biological process to create a seed can be patented in India.
2.In India, there is no Intellectual Property Appellate Board.
3.Plant varieties are not eligible to be patented in India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
With reference to the 'Seed Replacement Rate' (SRR) in India, consider the following statements:
1.SRR is highest for hybrid crops like cotton and vegetables because farm-saved seed of hybrids loses vigour in subsequent generations.
2.SRR is lowest for low-value, high-volume crops like pulses and oilseeds due to a demand-supply gap in the formal certified seed system.
3.There is no National Seeds Policy in India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding India's seed regulatory framework:
1.The Seeds Act, 1966 provides for imprisonment of persons selling fake or substandard seeds.
2.Plant varieties are not patentable under the Indian Patents Act and are instead protected under the PPV&FR Act, 2001.
3.Agriculture is a State subject under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution.
4.The Seed Village Concept aims to train farmers in quality seed production so that villages can supply certified seed to neighbouring areas at affordable cost.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Match the following seed-related legislation/policy with their primary focus:
List I (Legislation/Policy) — List II (Primary Focus)
A.Seeds Act, 1966 — 1. Protection of breeders' rights and farmers' rights over plant varieties
B.PPV&FR Act, 2001 — 2. Minimum quality standards and certification for commercially sold seeds
C.Seeds (Control) Order, 1983 — 3. Regulation of distribution and pricing of seeds under Essential Commodities Act
D.National Seeds Policy, 2002 — 4. Comprehensive framework for seed production, certification, import/export, and quality control
Which of the following correctly describes the main objective of the 'Seed Village Concept' promoted by the Government of India?
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