Union minister Shivraj Chouhan inaugurates Asian Seed Congress 2025 in Mumbai; stresses affordable, high-quality seeds, stronger regulation

Government considering new seeds and pesticides law; minister urges stakeholders to use SATHI portal and warns against illegal seed practices

Mumbai, Nov. 17: Union agriculture and farmers’ welfare minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated the Asian Seed Congress 2025 in Mumbai on Monday and unveiled the official logo of the event. This year’s theme, “Sowing the Seeds of Prosperity through Quality Seeds,” highlights the growing importance of seed innovation, affordability and climate-resilient agriculture.

Addressing the inaugural session, Chouhan said the government’s key priorities include ensuring national food security, expanding access to nutritious food and making farming a profitable enterprise. He emphasised improving per-hectare productivity, increasing the availability of quality seeds and reducing production costs for farmers. He also highlighted efforts to ensure fair prices and support diversification in crop cultivation.

Chouhan said institutions such as ICAR and state agricultural bodies are developing bio-fortified and climate-resilient crop varieties to address malnutrition and changing climate conditions. Stressing the need for collaboration, he said the public and private sectors must work together to develop high-quality seeds. However, he noted that seeds from private companies remain expensive and urged them to make prices more affordable for small and marginal farmers.

He added that seeds with longer replacement cycles would significantly ease the burden on farmers. The minister also flagged recurring complaints about poor-quality seeds with low germination rates and said strong action would be taken against those responsible. He reiterated the government’s intent to introduce a new law on seeds and pesticides in the upcoming budget session.

Urging all stakeholders to use the SATHI portal launched by the agriculture ministry, Chouhan said it provides several digital services for seed sector participants. He noted that India’s 15 agro-climatic zones require varieties that can withstand drought, heat and pest pressure. He informed the audience that two genome-edited rice varieties have been developed, offering 19–40 percent higher productivity, lower water use and reduced carbon emissions.

Speaking to seed producers, he called for more R&D in coarse grains and encouraged private companies to present their challenges to the government. He also said the time needed to bring new seeds to the market must be reduced and that the government is willing to work with industry to lower testing costs. Issuing a strong warning, Chouhan said illegal seed practices and malpractice would not be tolerated.

N. Prabhakar Rao, chairman of the National Seed Association of India, said the Asian Seed Congress 2025 is a significant platform to address emerging challenges in the seed sector. Ajay Rana, chairman of the Federation of Seed Industry of India, and Take WahKoh, president of the Asia and Pacific Seed Association, are jointly co-chairing the event.

Biotechnologist and geneticist Trilochan Mohapatra was honoured during the ceremony for his contributions to India’s seed sector.

The Congress, scheduled from November 17 to 21, will feature multiple technical sessions, with the Annual General Meeting to be held on November 20.