Maharashtra to enact separate seed law; farmers to get rights over their seeds

Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne on Tuesday said the state will bring in a separate law to give farmers legal rights to store, use, exchange and sell crop seeds without using branded names. The proposed law will ensure that farmers get quality seeds, legal protection and immediate compensation if seeds turn out to be defective, he said at a meeting held at Mantralaya. The minister was reviewing proposed amendments to the Seeds Act, 1966, in line with an assurance given during the 2025 monsoon session of the Maharashtra legislature. He said the new law will include strong provisions to ensure quick compensation to farmers, fix responsibility on seed companies for quality, improve the functioning of Mahabeej and ensure strict action against companies violating rules. Bharne also directed officials to set up district-level seed grievance redressal centres and to start registration of ''truthful seeds'' on the Saathi Portal. Provisions related to research carried out by agricultural universities will also be clearly included in the law, he said. The proposed law is expected to make registration mandatory for seed producers, processing units, distributors, sellers and nurseries. Nurseries will have to maintain records of the origin of plants. Seed packets will carry QR codes and a centralised seed traceability system will be introduced to track seeds across the supply chain, an official release quoting the minister said. Provisions will also be made to implement seed health standards to regulate the level of viruses, bacteria and fungi in seeds, he said. Meanwhile, the government has completed 100 per cent registration of seed-producing entities on the Saathi portal. From the Kharif 2026 season, all seed production, distribution and sales will be routed through the portal, improving traceability, certification and accountability, the minister said.

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