Farmers need to go to consumer forum to claim losses suffered due to fake seeds
The Centre on Friday admitted that there is no provision to compensate farmers in the draft Seeds Bill and they have to knock the doors of consumer forums to claim damages in case there is losses due to seeds. The government also said that price control order will be invoked only in exceptional circumstances while companies would be allowed to sell at rates fixed by them.
In a media interaction at his residence in Delhi, union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan sidestepped a question as to who will compensate farmers in case there is a crop failure due to fake seeds. He said the consumer protection law will be more effectively enforced when asked who would compensate farmers — government or companies – if there is losses due to seeds.
The minister while responding to a query on price control of seeds, said that normally retail price has to be printed on the pack. “But, if there is an exceptional circumstance, when complaint received about a company hiking rates abnormally, the government will intervene in such situation,” Chouhan said.
After capping of Bt Cotton prices, private companies have not released any new technology in India, which led to a debate over the necessity of price control of seeds. Every year, the government has been fixing the maximum retail price of a seed packet (450 gram) in Bt Cotton. No other seed prices are controlled, industry experts said.
The minister also said that currently farmers don’t know where the seeds come from or where those are produced. But there will be a complete traceability system under the draft Seeds Bill. There are as many as 14,000 feedback received in one month after the government put the draft in public domain in November 2025.
Chouhan said: “With this traceability system, as soon as you scan the QR code, you will know where the seeds were produced, the source will be identified. This will ensure that substandard seeds don’t enter the system at all. And if they do, they will be caught and can be penalized.”
Stressing that seed companies and those who sell in bulk will be registered, the minister said that there will be no problem for farmers if the sell their seeds. The traditional practice of farmers supplying the seeds to other farmers and getting the return in the form of crop (under a particular ratio) will not be disturbed by the proposed seed law, he added.
There is a misconception being spread that the new law will affect traditional seeds which is not true, Chouhan said. Further, if it is found that the seeds are substandard, have poor germination, or cause any other problems, the penal provisions have been strengthened under the Bill.
“Currently, the fine is up to Rs 500. Now, it is being proposed, to have a fine of up to Rs 30 lakh, though various suggestions are coming in. If the offence is very serious, meaning it is committed deliberately, then there is a provision for imprisonment,” he said.
“Not all companies are bad, I’m not saying that. Good companies will be able to provide good seeds, and strict action will be taken against those that are involved in malpractices,” he added.
Chouhan said that seed import hasn’t been proposed to be stopped, but there will be a complete regulatory system in place, it will be thoroughly evaluated. “Only after a complete assessment of whether it suits our agro-climatic conditions, permission will be granted to import any seed from abroad,” he added.
Published on January 16, 2026
