To curb this menace, the government is preparing to expand its digital seed authentication system nationwide, two people aware of the plan said.
The initiative, known as Sathi—short for Seed Authentication, Traceability and Holistic Inventory—was launched in April 2023 by the agriculture ministry in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre. Already operational in 23 states and union territories, it tracks seeds through the entire production chain.
QR codes for every seed packet
The government is now readying the second phase of Sathi, which will extend coverage beyond producers and processors to include dealers and farmers. The aim is to automate the entire seed supply chain, from production and certification to licensing, inventory, and retail sales.
A key feature will be QR-coded seed packets, allowing farmers to instantly verify origin and quality while ensuring traceability across the supply chain—from production and certification to distribution and retail, according to the two people cited above.
“Phase I of Sathi covers seed processing agencies as well as seed processing companies. It includes nucleus, breeder, foundation and certified seeds. The Phase II of Sathi will include registered dealers and recipient farmers also and will be rolled out across the country soon. So, the entire seed lifecycle—from production and certification to distribution and sale can be tracked,” said a senior official associated with the Sathi project, one of the two people cited earlier.
He added that dealer registration has already begun in some states.
An email sent to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare remains unanswered.
The cost of fake seeds
“There have been incidents in the past where the farmers are sold an inferior variety of seeds in garb of superior variety. So, the initiative will help in checking such incidents and would ensure the right quality of seed reach to the farmers,” said ML Jat, secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education and Director General of ICAR.
In 2024-25, seed inspectors tested 2.53 lakh samples across 24 states and UTs. Of these, 32,525 samples were substandard, agriculture minister of state Ramnath Thakur informed Lok Sabha on 19 August. West Bengal topped the list (24,460), followed by Tamil Nadu (1,565) and Madhya Pradesh (1,438).
Agriculture remains India’s largest employer, with nearly half the workforce—512 million people—depending on it for livelihoods. The sector contributed about 18% of GDP in FY25. Farm output, including livestock, forestry and fishing, grew 4.6% in FY25, up from 2.7% the year before, as per the statistics ministry. But with over 85% of farmers operating on small and marginal landholdings, the impact of spurious seeds can be especially devastating, pushing vulnerable rural households into distress.
Substandard seeds, often sold under reputable brand names, fail to germinate or deliver expected yields—leaving farmers saddled with debt.
Stronger safeguards
“The initiative by the ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare will go a long way in promoting quality and ensuring the right quality seeds reach the farmers. Our only concern is that the data pertaining to farmers(seed breeders as well as recipient)should be encrypted, “said Vaibhav Ravi Kashikar, executive director, Ankur Seeds (P) Ltd., Maharashtra.
Encryption, he said, will ensure only authorised officials access sensitive data, protecting farmer privacy.
To further safeguard the farming community, agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced on 18 June that the government is moving to amend the Seeds Act, 1966, making traceability mandatory and fixing accountability. A senior ministry official said the bill is likely to be introduced by the winter session of Parliament.
The Seeds Act, 1966 regulates quality standards and certification, though certification is not mandatory today. Many private players sell seeds under the “truthfully labelled” category.
India’s seed industry, valued at $6.3 billion ( ₹55,221 crore), includes about 800 private companies of both Indian and multinational origin. The industry says traceability reforms could curb malpractice and strengthen farmer trust.
