Draft new seeds bill to be finalised after considering suggestions from stakeholders: Chouhan

NEW DELHI, Sep 10 : Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on  Thursday said the draft new Seeds Bill will be finalised after considering suggestions from all stakeholders, including farmers' organisations.

On Thursday, Chouhan held a high-level consultation with senior leaders of major farmer organisations from across the country.

The government is preparing to introduce a new and stringent Seed Act aimed at protecting the country's farmers from the losses caused by fake and substandard seeds.

The draft of the new Bill will be finalised only after due and earnest consideration of all the suggestions, he said, after the meeting with around  20 farmers' organisations.

The minister said that during the 'Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan', farmers suggested that the Seed Act and the Pesticide Act -- enacted in 1966 -- should be amended to align with current realities.

"Spurious seeds and pesticides pose a major problem for farmers. Therefore, we have seriously begun considering the need for new legislation," Chouhan said.

The minister informed that suggestions on the draft Bill were invited in 2023, and about 18,000 inputs from farmers and farmers' organizations were received.

"We have now initiated a fresh round of extensive consultations, and today, we held discussions with around 20 farmers' organisations to gather their views," Chouhan said, adding that the consultative process would continue.

He invited farmers' organisations to offer suggestions.

The consultation, convened by the minister, was aimed at incorporating farmers' ground-level experiences, suggestions and concerns directly into the draft seed legislation.

"The government intends to build a robust and effective regulatory framework to curb the activities of seed mafias and protect farmers from fraudulent and poor-quality seeds," the agricultural ministry said.

The proposed new Seed Act is expected to provide for stringent legal action against companies and traders involved in the sale of fake, adulterated or substandard seeds, including heavy penalties and imprisonment.

Senior leadership of the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, various factions of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), All India Kisan Coordination Committee (AIKCC), Kisan Mahapanchayat, Bharatiya Krishak Samaj, Gaon Kisan Unnayan and the Society for Independent Farmers Association (SIFA) were invited to participate in the meeting.  (PTI)