Govt to bring stringent seed law in Budget session 2026: Shivraj Chouhan

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The government plans to introduce legislation with stringent provisions to regulate seed quality during the budget session of Parliament early next year, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Thursday.

Addressing an event on Farmers Producer Organisations (FPOs), Chouhan said the amendments are aimed at ensuring quality inputs for the farming community.

The minister said about 46 per cent of the country's population still depends on farming for their livelihood, and ensuring better income to farmers is a key government priority.

"We are going to bring the seed law in the budget session of parliament (early 2026)," Chouhan said, adding that there would be stringent provisions to check the sale and distribution of substandard quality seeds.

He said genetically modified seeds are not allowed, and research is underway to develop better varieties.

The amendments to the Seeds Act at the central government level remain under active development but have not yet been formally enacted or notified as law as of now.

The government is focused on introducing mandatory traceability, certification and quality control provisions to ensure seed quality and curb the sale of substandard or counterfeit seeds.

Meanwhile, some states, including Haryana and Punjab, have independently amended their respective Seeds Acts in 2025 with tougher penalties for violations and enhanced enforcement measures.

To ensure better returns, Chouhan said the government will promote integrated farming, encouraging farmers to focus on allied activities like poultry and dairying alongside agriculture.

Currently, there are 10 lakh FPOs across the country with 53 lakh farmers associated with them, of which 1,100 FPOs have reported annual turnover of Rs 1 crore.

The target is to bring 2 crore farmers into FPOs, he said.

More than 500 progressive farmers, FPOs, implementing agencies and cluster-based business organisations from 24 states and 140 districts participated in the event in the national capital.