Mumbai, April 28: In a significant move aimed at empowering farmers and ensuring the availability of high-quality seeds, Maharashtra’s Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne announced on Tuesday that the state will soon implement its own Seed Act.
The proposed legislation will provide legal protection to farmers, allowing them to collect, use, exchange, and sell their own seeds without relying on branded names.
Bharne emphasized that the law will also guarantee immediate compensation for farmers in case of crop failure due to poor-quality seeds.
This decision fulfills a commitment made during the second monsoon session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 2025.
During a high-level meeting, Minister Bharne issued several directives to enhance the bill. The focus is on empowering farmers, ensuring prompt compensation, establishing strict accountability, and strengthening the Maharashtra State Seed Corporation (Mahabeej).
He stated that the proposed law will legally safeguard farmers’ rights to trade their home-grown seeds. It will include robust provisions to ensure that farmers receive immediate financial compensation if seeds are found to be substandard. Additionally, seed companies will be held accountable for quality assurance, with strict penalties for violations, while also enhancing the efficiency of the Maharashtra State Seed Corporation.
Bharne noted that companies will be required to take responsibility for quality when drafting this independent law.
He further mentioned that the government is directing the establishment of ‘Seed Grievance Redressal Centers’ at the district level to assist farmers. The new legal framework aims to modernize the entire seed supply chain through various technical measures, including mandatory registration, seed identification, health standards, and nursery regulations.
All seed producers, processing centers, distributors, vendors, and nurseries will be required to register.
He added that the inclusion of QR codes on seed packets and the creation of a ‘Centralized Seed Identification Portal’ will enable monitoring of the entire process from production to sale. Setting limits on viruses, bacteria, and fungi in seeds will also ensure biosecurity.
Additionally, there will be a provision for mandatory registration of nurseries, requiring them to maintain a “source register” for all their plants.
Meanwhile, officials from the agriculture department confirmed that technical measures are already being implemented.
The ‘Sathi’ portal has achieved 100% registration of all organizations involved in seed production. Starting from the Kharif 2026 season, the entire cycle of production, distribution, and sale of all types of seeds will be managed through this portal, ensuring complete transparency and accountability.
Arpit Soni has had a passion for journalism since the beginning. Now he has turned this hobby into his profession. Arpit, who is a resident of Udaipur, enjoys editing and writing news related to journalism. He has worked as a Senior Content Producer in several important roles at Bhaskar, Patrika, Pratahkal, Punjab Kesari, and Times. Arpit completed his schooling in Udaipur and Jaipur. He has been working in the media industry for more than 10 years, and his journey is still continuing. ✍️📚
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