Seeds Bill: Why are farmers planning fresh agitation to mark 5th anniversary of farm law protests?

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has invited public comments on the draft Seeds Bill, 2025, even as the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) has denounced it as a threat to farmers and agriculture. Stakeholders have been asked to submit their feedback by December 11.

Government seeks inputs on new seed regulation

The ministry said the draft Bill aims to replace the Seeds Act, 1966, and the Seeds (Control) Order, 1983, updating seed regulation to reflect modern agricultural and market needs.

According to the statement, the proposed law focuses on regulating seed quality, ensuring farmers’ access to affordable high-quality seeds, eliminating spurious products, liberalising seed imports to promote innovation, and safeguarding farmer rights through transparent supply chains.

The draft Bill also proposes decriminalising minor offences to ease compliance while retaining strict penalties for serious violations, aligning with the government’s ease-of-doing-business push.

The draft document and feedback format are available on the ministry website. Submissions may be emailed in Word or PDF format to jsseeds-agri@gov.in

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan recently said the ministry intends to introduce the new seed legislation during the Budget Session of Parliament.

The Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, which prepared the draft under the ministry, stressed the need for stakeholder participation in shaping the final law.

AIKS rejects Bill, calls for nationwide protests on November 26

The All India Kisan Sabha on Monday described the draft Seeds Bill, 2025, as a “disastrous piece of legislation which will destroy agriculture”, claiming it would make seeds costlier and pave the way for corporate control.

The farmers’ body has announced protests on November 26, marking five years since the farmers’ agitation on Delhi’s borders against the now-repealed three farm laws.

In its statement, the AIKS said the draft would create a favourable environment for monopolies to engage in predatory pricing. It argued that any new seed law must complement the existing Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001, and India’s commitments under international biodiversity and genetic resources agreements.

According to the AIKS, the draft Bill “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.”

‘Bill will make seeds costlier’

AIKS President and CPI(M) Politburo member Ashok Dhawale said the legislation would significantly raise seed prices and hand the seed sector to corporate interests.

“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,” he 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,” Dhawale said.

He added that the Bill would “make the seeds much costlier than they are” and argued that it “is also negating all the national and international commitments that we have already made,” including commitments to protect indigenous seeds and farmers.

Kerala orders detailed study of contentious Bill

The Kerala government has decided to conduct a special study on the controversial draft Seeds Bill.

The Agriculture Department has formed a six-member official committee comprising representatives from multiple departments.

The committee will be chaired by the Principal Secretary (Agriculture), with the Director of Agriculture serving as convenor. Members include the Additional Director of Agriculture and representatives from the Law, Finance and Agriculture University departments.

Kerala’s decision comes amid renewed concerns over the Centre’s attempt to reintroduce seed-sector legislation. Similar attempts by the UPA in 2004 and the NDA in 2019 were withdrawn following strong opposition from farmers, who argued the laws favoured corporates and multinational seed companies.