Recently, India's Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare officially released the draft of the "2025 Seed Act", putting forward a series of comprehensive reform measures aimed at reshaping the seed industry ecosystem. As a significant legislative proposal to replace the "1966 Seed Act" and the "1983 Seed (Control) Order" which have been implemented for more than half a century, this draft not only targets the chaos of counterfeit and shoddy seeds and strengthens the protection network for farmers' rights and interests, but also focuses on the long-term development of the industry and establishes an institutional framework for seed industry innovation and modernization. Currently, a public consultation channel has been opened, inviting all stakeholders to put forward suggestions by December 11, 2025.

The most distinctive feature of this draft lies in the construction of a dual governance logic of "strong regulation + promoting innovation". On one hand, it curbs industrial chaos by establishing a full-chain regulatory system to ensure that farmers can obtain high-quality seeds at affordable prices; on the other hand, it opens up space for technological innovation and international cooperation under the premise of strict regulation, helping to increase crop yields and promote the modernization of India's seed industry. This governance direction not only addresses the current pain points in the development of the seed industry, but also points out the path for the industry's future development.

Core Institutional Innovation: Laying the Institutional Foundation for Regulation and Innovation

The core breakthrough of the draft is the establishment of a systematic regulatory and service framework, among which two institutional designs are particularly crucial. At the top-level design level, the draft proposes the establishment of a National Seed Committee, which serves as the "think tank" and "steering wheel" for the development of the seed industry, specifically providing professional advice to the government on core issues such as policy formulation, regulatory improvement and seed quality standards. It is worth noting that for the sensitive field of genetically modified seeds, the draft clearly defines red lines, requiring them to strictly abide by environmental and biosafety standards to ensure that technological innovation always advances within the framework of ecological security and achieves a balance between innovation and safety.

At the level of rights and interests protection, the draft innovatively establishes a rapid dispute resolution mechanism specifically for handling seed-related complaints filed by farmers. The establishment of this mechanism directly addresses the pain points of cumbersome traditional dispute resolution procedures and high rights protection costs for farmers. By simplifying procedures and improving efficiency, it ensures that farmers can obtain timely compensation when encountering seed quality problems, while strengthening the accountability of enterprises, making it no longer difficult to safeguard rights.

Full-Chain Management Norms: From Source Quality Control to Terminal Rights Protection

To achieve the goal of "high-quality seeds directly reaching farmers", the draft establishes management norms covering the entire chain of production, sales and circulation, among which the mandatory registration and certification and quality assurance system constitute the core defense line. According to the requirements of the draft, all seed varieties must complete pre-registration procedures before entering the market for sale or distribution, and market entities such as seed dealers and producers must also hold valid licenses to carry out business. At the same time, the draft fully takes into account farmers' traditional planting habits, clearly stating that farmers have the freedom to save, use, exchange and sell the seeds they have harvested without going through registration procedures, achieving a precise balance between strict regulation and convenience for the people.

In terms of quality control, the draft establishes a threefold guarantee mechanism of "enterprise commitment + institutional certification + label disclosure". Seed producers must make clear commitments on the quality, purity and germination rate of seeds. Authorized certification institutions will conduct full-process supervision and certification to ensure that seeds meet established standards. To protect consumers' right to know, the draft also mandates that seed packages must be attached with standardized labels, clearly indicating key information such as variety, source, quality and germination rate, so that farmers can buy and use them with confidence.

At the level of infrastructure and international cooperation, the draft proposes the construction of modern seed testing laboratories to improve the professional level of seed quality testing; at the same time, it standardizes the management of seed imports, building a quality defense line while opening up the market to prevent inferior or contaminated seeds from entering the domestic market and safeguarding the safety of the domestic seed industry.

Graded Punishment and Procedural Guarantee: Building a Governance System of Combining Strictness and Leniency

To ensure the implementation of the system, Chapter IX of the draft designs a graded punishment system, which not only reflects the attitude of strict law enforcement, but also takes into account the needs of optimizing the business environment, decriminalizing minor violations to reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens on enterprises. According to the severity of violations, punishments are divided into three levels: for minor violations, the first offense will only be given a written warning, and a fine of 50,000 rupees will be imposed for a repeat offense within three years; for medium violations, a fine of 100,000 rupees will be imposed for the first offense, and the fine will be doubled to 200,000 rupees for a repeat offense within three years; for serious violations, a fine of 1,000,000 rupees will be imposed for the first offense, increased to 2,000,000 rupees for a repeat offense, and a heavy fine of 3,000,000 rupees will be imposed for a third offense within five years. Dealers who commit serious violations may also face revocation of their licenses and/or imprisonment for up to three years. With the approval of the court, offenders may be given heavier penalties by paying a fine twice the maximum fine amount. The central government may also impose further heavier penalties if necessary.

In terms of liability determination, the draft implements a "double punishment system". If an enterprise is found to have committed a violation, the relevant responsible persons will also bear joint and several liabilities, unless they can prove that they have exercised due diligence or were unaware of the violation. At the same time, the government is empowered to confiscate substandard seeds to eliminate quality hazards from the source. In terms of procedural guarantees, the draft clearly stipulates that no court shall accept any illegal act that is not reported by the designated seed inspector, ensuring the standardization and fairness of law enforcement through procedural constraints and avoiding wrongful convictions.

Supervision and Rights Balance: Activating the Dual Driving Forces of Innovation and Standardization

While strengthening supervision, the draft also focuses on stimulating the innovation vitality of the industry and building a multi-subject rights and interests protection system. The central government is authorized to regulate or prohibit specific seed varieties in order to safeguard public interests and ensure that the development of the seed industry meets national strategic needs. Seed inspectors are empowered to collect samples, seize suspicious goods and send them to laboratories for testing, improving the timeliness and effectiveness of supervision.

To encourage technological innovation, the draft specifically strengthens the protection of intellectual property rights of breeders of new seed varieties, allowing innovators to obtain due returns and stimulating their enthusiasm for research and development. At the same time, it requires seed enterprises to establish a transparent record-keeping system and accept regular audits, which not only facilitates the verification of regulatory authorities, but also improves the standardization of enterprise operations and promotes the overall development of the industry in the direction of compliance.

Conclusion: India's Exploration and Insights into Seed Industry Governance

The release of the draft of India's 2025 Seed Act marks that its seed industry governance has entered a new stage of "refinement, systematization and modernization". The rapid dispute resolution mechanism solves the problem of farmers' rights protection, the mandatory labeling system protects consumers' right to know, and the graded punishment system achieves a balance between supervision and business operations. These institutional designs have strong reference significance. For Indian seed enterprises, transparency, compliance and accountability will become core competitiveness in the future; for the majority of farmers, the quality of seeds has a more solid guarantee, and they have more confidence in safeguarding their rights.

Overall, the "strong regulation + promoting innovation" governance framework constructed by the draft not only responds to the practical needs of seed industry development, but also opens up legal channels for the application of new technologies such as genetic modification and biological breeding, demonstrating India's determination to build a modern seed industry system. With the advancement of public consultation on the draft and subsequent revisions and improvements, India's seed industry is expected to achieve a dual leap in quality improvement and innovation breakthroughs, and its governance experience also provides useful references for global seed industry governance.