The story of Indian agriculture has always been closely tied to the story of seeds. The Green Revolution was powered as much by high-yielding varieties as by irrigation and fertilisers. Today, as India aims for higher productivity, climate resilience, and better farmer incomes, “quality seed and planting material” has become a quiet but decisive backbone of change.

In simple terms, quality seed and planting material are those that are genetically pure, healthy, true to type, and capable of giving high, stable yields under recommended conditions. When farmers have reliable access to such material, everything else— fertiliser, water, labour, credit—works more efficiently. When they don’t, even the best agronomy fails.

The foundation rests on strong legislation. The Seeds Act, 1966, and the Seeds Rules, 1968, established the basic framework for seed quality regulation, including certification and labelling. This was reinforced by the Seeds (Control) Order, 1983, and the PPV&FR Act, 2001, which promotes the development of new varieties while protecting farmers’ rights to save, use, exchange and sell farm-saved (non-branded) seed.

In recent years, seed laws have been updated to reflect advances in technology (hybrids, GM traits, biofortified crops), global trade, and climate resilience. Draft versions of a new Seeds Bill have aimed to bring all players—public, private, and small producers—under a transparent system with mandatory registration and performance- based labelling. Despite ongoing debates on farmers’ rights and regulation levels, the shift has sparked a stronger national focus on seed quality and traceability.

India built a formal seed production and distribution system with three key pillars: ICAR and State Agricultural Universities (SAUs), Public-sector seed corporations, and State Departments of Agriculture and extension systems. Breeder seed production of major crops has significantly increased, allowing larger production of foundation and certified seed. Many states now prepare Seed Rolling Plans, projecting their requirements for 3–5 years and tying up multiplication well in advance.

Seed replacement rate (SRR)—the percentage of area sown with certified or quality seed rather than farm-saved seed—has improved in several crops. For example, in many states, SRR for wheat, rice and maize has risen steadily, contributing to productivity gains. Though SRR targets are still not uniformly achieved, the direction of change is positive.

One of the biggest transformations has been the rapid growth of the private seed sector. Companies—Indian and multinational—have made large investments in hybrid seed production, R&D, and farmer outreach, especially in crops such as maize, cotton, sunflower, and vegetables, and increasingly in some pulses and oilseeds.

Hybrids typically require fresh seed purchase every season for best performance. This has created a strong commercial incentive to ensure high germination, good vigour, and consistent performance. It has also led to better last-mile networks, on-field demonstrations and farmer meetings, and packaging and labelling improvements to communicate traits like disease resistance, maturity duration, and oil content.

Ensuring availability is not only about quantity; it is about trust. India has built an extensive seed certification and testing infrastructure to ensure that farmers get what is promised on the packet. As India moves towards higher-value agriculture with fruits, vegetables, plantation crops and spices, quality planting material—grafts, seedlings, tissue-cultured plants—has become critical.

Many states now run nursery accreditation programmes to certify nurseries that maintain mother plants, follow sanitation protocols, and supply disease-free planting material of recommended varieties. For crops such as banana, potato, and some ornamentals, tissue culture plantlets are now widely used. The Department of Biotechnology and other agencies have issued standards and accreditation norms for tissue culture units, improving reliability.

Under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) and other schemes, large numbers of quality saplings, grafts and plantlets are subsidised and supplied to farmers, with emphasis on region-appropriate varieties and high-density planting systems. This emphasis on planting material quality is especially important because horticultural crops are perennial; a wrong or diseased plant can result in years of lost income.

A quiet but powerful trend has been the emergence of community seed banks, seed villages, and Farmer-Producer Organisations (FPOs) engaged in producing and distributing quality seed locally. Under programmes such as the Seed Village schemes and the National Food Security Mission (NFSM), groups of farmers are trained and supported to produce high-quality seed of locally adapted varieties. In tribal and rainfed areas, NGOs and grassroots organisations have helped create community seed banks that store and multiply climate-resilient varieties, ensuring both conservation and access.

In recent years, digital technology has started transforming seed systems. Online portals and apps help states plan inventory, track seed stocks, and allow farmers to see the availability of specific varieties at different outlets. QR codes and barcodes on seed packets support traceability and allow quick verification of lot numbers and quality parameters. e-NAM and other market platforms are gradually opening opportunities for seed and planting material to move more efficiently across regions.

Simultaneously, breeding programmes are focusing on climate-resilient varieties— tolerant to drought, submergence, salinity, and emerging pests and diseases. Ensuring that such varieties move quickly from research stations into farmers’ hands through robust seed multiplication and delivery is now seen as an urgent climate adaptation priority. Leveraging AI and remote sensing for demand forecasting and performance monitoring, and, most importantly, educating farmers to recognise quality seed as the most impactful investment of the season.

In the end, the seed is a tiny carrier of immense potential—yield, nutrition, resilience and farmer dignity. Enhancing the availability of quality seed and planting material is not merely an input-delivery effort but a nation-building mission. It ensures that every farmer—whether in Punjab’s plains, an Odisha tribal hamlet or a small Himachal orchard—begins the season with the most powerful living technology: a good seed, in the right soil, at the right time. For when the right seed meets the right hand, it does not just grow a crop—it cultivates hope, prosperity and the future of India.

- Dr Gopal Lal, Prof Arun Tiwari