Context: Recently, the 13th National Seed Congress (NSC) 2024 was held at the International Rice Research Institute South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC) in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. It urged the Centre government to revisit and modernise the Seeds Bill of 2004 and the Seeds Policy of 2002 to incorporate the latest developments in the seed sector.
Relevance of the topic: Mains: Need for New Seeds Act and Policy and the changes it should incorporate.
The Seed Act, 1966, the National Seed Policy, 2002 from the basis of promotion and regulation of the Indian Seed Industry.
Why is a New Seeds Act and Policy Needed?
India's agricultural landscape has undergone significant changes since 1966, necessitating modern legislation to address emerging challenges:
1. Outdated Provisions:
- The Seeds Act, 1966, and Seeds Rules, 1968, and existing National Seed Policy, 2002 have not been revised to align with advancements in seed technology or international standards.
- India’s seed quality assurance system and certification standards are much lower than global benchmarks. It needs to be strengthened to adhere to international standards.
2. No clear definition of seeds:
- Lack of clear definitions for "farmer seeds" and "commercial seeds" creates policy ambiguities, intellectual property disputes, quality control issues, and challenges in balancing rights of both farmers and commercial seed companies.
3. Issue with voluntary registration of Varieties:
- The current system allows voluntary registration of seed varieties which leads to discrepancies in seed quality and traceability. Mandatory registration would enhance accountability.
- Smallholder farmers rely heavily on informal seed systems, so often access lower-quality seeds.
4. Regulatory issues and poor implementation:
- Delay in clearing license: The companies who invest six to eight years in R&D and develop new varieties of hybrid seeds have to wait for three more years to get required permissions from the Centre and States (difficulties of obtaining licences in every State). Because of this, the access to new technology for farmers is delayed. There is a need for a "One Nation, One Licence" policy to streamline approvals for hybrid seeds across states.
- The outdated legislations overlap between Central and State jurisdictions, and the inconsistent implementation of policies across sectors lead to:
- High reliance of farmers on informal seed systems.
- Conflicts between proprietary technologies and farmers’ rights.
- Conflicts over royalties and technology-sharing agreements.
This creates roadblocks for the seed sector’s development.
5. Lack of consensus on GM Crops and Technology:
- Lack of consensus and regulatory framework on genetically modified (GM) crops delays self-sufficiency in critical sectors, like edible oil production. E.g., India imports edible oil from Canada, U.S. and Brazil, etc., but they use genetically modified seeds.
6. Limited Research and Development (R&D):
- Limited investment in research and development and over-dependence on imported germplasm for advanced hybrids.
7. For preservation of traditional seed varieties:
- For e.g., India over 3,000 varieties of traditional rice and their seeds should be preserved.
Changes that New Seeds Act and Policy should incorporate:
- The Regulation should include seed pricing, seed supply and decentralised seed planning/ production in addition to regulation of quality.
- Must uphold farmers' rights of breeding, selecting, saving, using, exchanging/ bartering, distributing and selling seeds.
- Simplified licensing and certification processes, strengthening intellectual property protections to uphold the rights of companies, foster innovation and enhance ease of doing business.
- Each license should be reviewed after some years (3- 5 years) and renewal should be allowed based on actual performance.
- Strong punitive clauses which act as deterrents, based on standard formulae to calculate penalties.
- Appropriate compensation clauses for speedy redressal to farmers who have incurred losses due to seed failure - this should be linked to an insurance system and should be based on calculations that consider loss in yields as well as cost of cultivation.
- Multi-Iocational agronomic trials of seeds before commercialisation to be undertaken in a scientific manner to ensure region-specific performance.
- Should exclude traditional practices of farmers of seed production, sale and exchange from its purview.
- Harmonisation of the new legislation with the Protection of Plant Variety and Farmers Rights Act (PPV & FR), 2001 and the Biodiversity Act, 2002.
Way Forward:
- Build a road map to ensure that farmers receive high-quality seeds at reasonable prices and on time. (Good quality seeds can boost production by 20%)
- Invest in promoting innovative seed technologies for farmers including hybrid and biofortified crops, stress-tolerant varieties, and accelerated breeding cycles.
- Developing seed parks, enhancing seed entrepreneurship, improving supply chains, and building capacity among farmers through Public-Private Partnerships in the sector.
- Utilising advanced technologies and satellite data to optimise crop production. E.g.,
- The Ministry of Agriculture has released an ‘Abstract Compendium’ and the ‘Rice Fallow Webpage and Atlas’ for Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.
- The atlas will use geospatial technology to map and analyse fallow lands in eastern India to optimise crop planning, enhance system intensification, and improve food security in the region.
Conclusion: The New Seeds Act and Policy must be in tune with the contemporary situation in the seeds sector and must incorporate the concerns of farmers. A balanced focus on innovation, farmer empowerment, and policy reforms can pave the way for a resilient and globally competitive seed industry.