New Delhi, Sep 27: India’s seed industry, led by the Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII), is calling for urgent government reforms to reduce regulatory burdens that cost the sector over ₹800 crore annually.
At the ‘Lab to Land’ conference in New Delhi, FSII released its ‘Ease of Doing Business’ report, highlighting the need for a unified national licensing system and removal of price controls to unlock growth in the ₹30,000 crore domestic seed market.
The 106-page report, based on a survey of 55 companies representing about one-third of the market, identifies fragmented licensing, redundant variety testing, and procedural delays as key obstacles. Regulatory issues alone account for over ₹300 crore in annual costs, often causing companies to miss critical testing and launch windows.
More than 54% of seed companies in India are MSMEs, and compliance costs average ₹64 lakh per year—nearly 3.8% of turnover for small firms versus 1.5% for larger ones.
FSII’s immediate demands include adopting a ‘One Nation, One Licence’ policy to eliminate the need for separate state approvals and launching a single-window digital platform to speed up licensing processes, which can currently take up to 180 days.
To enhance research and innovation, FSII recommends reinstating the 200% income tax deduction for in-house R&D and removing existing seed price controls.
Over 70% of surveyed firms said they would increase R&D spending by 13–15% if regulations were eased.
The proposals align with the government’s broader push to improve India’s ease of doing business. Agriculture Ministry Joint Secretary (Seeds), Ajeet K Sahu, stated that the government is exploring ways to accelerate sector growth, including integrating the Seed Act of 1966 and the PPVFRA Act into a unified framework.
ICAR’s Dr. D.K. Yadava emphasized the need for collaboration between the public and private sectors, while Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra of the PPVFR Authority stressed the importance of strong intellectual property protection.
Progressive farmer Ravichandran Vanchinathan voiced farmers’ demand for access to genetically modified (GM) crops and innovative technologies to combat climate change, pests, and diseases.
FSII’s medium-term suggestions include mutual recognition of testing results across states and the creation of innovation clusters with financial support for MSMEs. The federation aims to make India a global leader in seed technology, targeting 10% of the global seed market by 2035.
This could generate thousands of jobs and significantly contribute to rural economic development and agricultural productivity. (PTI)
