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Seeds Bill 2025 Proposes ₹30 Lakh Penalty, Mandatory Registration to Replace 1966 Act

Target:UPSC GS-IIIMPSCSSC GATeachingPrelims HighMains MediumStatic GK Link
23 Feb 2026
~2 min
Source: Indian Express
Key Data:₹30 lakh penalty3 years imprisonmentSeeds Act, 1966Seeds Bill, 202548.20 lakh tonnes requirement53.15 lakh tonnes availability
Bodies:Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare
Practice MCQs from today's news ▸
What This Article Covers

1.The Ministry of Agriculture is ready to introduce the new Seeds Bill, 2025 during the second part of the Budget Session (March 9 - April 2).

2.The Bill proposes mandatory registration of all seed varieties and penalties of ₹30 lakh and 3 years' imprisonment for major offences, unlike the existing Seeds Act, 1966.

3.This is a key legislative update for Agriculture and Polity sections, highlighting the modernization of farm input regulation and its economic implications.

The Big Picture
Prelims · HighMains · Medium

The government is set to replace the six-decade-old Seeds Act, 1966 with a new Seeds Bill, 2025. This legislation, to be introduced in Parliament, mandates registration of all seed varieties and imposes severe penalties for the sale of spurious seeds, addressing critical gaps in the current regulatory framework.

Exam Lens

Quick Exam Facts From News

Old Act to be ReplacedSeeds Act, 1966
New BillSeeds Bill, 2025
Penalty for Spurious Seeds₹30 lakh & 3 years imprisonment
Annual Seed Requirement (2024-25)48.20 lakh tonnes
Annual Seed Availability (2024-25)53.15 lakh tonnes
Estimated Market Size₹40,000 crore
Crop Varieties Released (May 2014-Aug 2025)3,053 (85% public, 15% private)

1-Minute Revision

  • ›Old Act to be Replaced: Seeds Act, 1966
  • ›New Bill: Seeds Bill, 2025
  • ›Target this Data: Penalty of ₹30 lakh and 3 years imprisonment under Seeds Bill 2025.
  • ›Target this Nodal Body: Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare.
  • ›Target this Legal Point: Seeds Bill 2025 replaces Seeds Act, 1966.

Mastered this topic? Test your knowledge with a full MCQ quiz.

Practice exam-style questions, track your score, and strengthen your recall.

Q1Static LinkageEasy

Which ministry is piloting the new Seeds Bill, 2025?

Q2Statement-basedHard

Consider the following statements regarding the Seeds Bill, 2025:

1. It proposes mandatory registration of all seed varieties.

2. It will replace the Seeds Act, which was enacted in 1976.

3. It proposes a penalty of ₹50 lakh for the sale of spurious seeds.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Q3Data-centricMedium

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, what was the estimated annual requirement of seeds in India for 2024-25?

Q4Application/ImpactMedium

What is a key deficiency of the existing Seeds Act, 1966, that the new Seeds Bill, 2025 aims to address?

All 25 MCQs ▸
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