National Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Expert consultation
on
The Proposed Draft Seed Bill 2025

November 22, 2025

An Expert consultation on the proposed draft Seed Bill 2025 was organised by NAAS in collaboration with Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences (TAAS), Indian Society of Plant Genetic Resources (ISPGR), Indian Society of Seed Science and Technology (ISSST) and Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding (ISGPB). Dr. W.S. Lakra (Secretary, NAAS) welcomed the Co-chairs and participants and gave the brief introduction about the meeting.

The meeting was co-chaired by Dr. R.S. Paroda (Chairman, TAAS and President, ISPGR) and Dr. Himanshu Pathak (President, NAAS and DG, ICRISAT). Other distinguished participants included Dr. R.B. Singh (Former President, NAAS), Dr. S.K. Vasal (World Food Prize Laureate), Dr. B.S. Dhillon (Vice-President, NAAS), Dr. H.S. Gupta (President, ISSST), Dr. Sanjay Kumar, (President ISGPB), Dr. Sanjay Kumar (Chairman, ASRB), and Dr. P.L. Gautam (Former Vice President, NAAS).

The various provisions of the Seed Bill were discussed, and many constructive suggestions were emerged, which included the harmonisation of registration of plant varieties under PPV&FRA with the National Register as proposed in the draft Seed Bill; strengthening performance evaluation through robust, multi-location testing by the national agricultural research system, including ICAR, CAUs, SAUs and other organizations; improving the national seed testing and accreditation systems; and strengthening the seed production chain, including certification and quality assurance mechanisms. Participants also emphasized the need for clearer definitions of varieties and hybrids, the inclusion of advanced technologies such as DNA fingerprinting and QR-code-based traceability with privacy safeguards, appropriate price regulation in monopoly situations, regulation of seed imports, and provisions for the production and protection of farmers’ varieties and landraces. Participants further highlighted the importance of harmonisation of national and state-level processes to ensure effective and uniform implementation.

Overall, the meeting was very fruitful the recommendation originating from discussion will be submitted to the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare for needful. Meeting ended with vote of thanks to Co-chairs and participants by Dr. Ashok. K. Singh (Secretary, NAAS).