Lok Sabha MP Sudhakar Singh
Demanding the proposed Seeds Bill be sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee, former Agriculture Minister of Bihar and currently Lok Sabha MP Sudhakar Singh has suggested some changes. These include capping the price and accountability in the current draft. He, however, supported the need for a law saying the parliamentary panel has been insisting on it.
In an interaction with businessline, Singh, who is also a member of the parliamentary standing committee on agriculture, said that the Bill has to address some key issues like terminator seed technology, uncontrolled rates of seeds, accountability of seed companies and GMO technology.
Explaining further, he said: “We should not use any terminator seed technology in the seed production system. Seed companies worldwide don’t aim to increase production, but to create a market for themselves by selling new seeds every year. This is why they want to use genetically modified (GM) seeds, and genome editing technology.”
Bt cotton trap
He claimed that on the last 20 years of experience on Bt cotton, both the government and farmers have realised that allowing GM cotton was a failed technology, and India has fallen into a trap.
“Today, it has been proved that those who opposed GM technology were right and those who supported it are disappointed,” he said.
But when asked if limiting the seed prices was not responsible for no new technologies coming to India, Singh said Bt cotton was introduced on the claim that there will be no pest attack. “But the PBW (pink bollworm) pest is infesting Bt cotton, and there is no cure for it. There is no solution to pests,” he said, adding now both production and productivity of cotton have declined.
He also said that the trade agreement that has been reached with the US, allowing for zero duty import of cotton will again put India in a situation similar to 2000 when the country imported. “We never had a shortage of cotton. If needed in any particular year, we could have imported it from by waiving the import duty. So, what was the need to introduce failed technology,” he asked.
Law needs reform
Saying that India can never compromise with the seed sovereignty, he said the Bill has come as the parliamentary panel had been consistently raising it with the government. “The Seed Bill has been pending since 2004. It is now coming because our committee raised questions about it. We want the law to clearly state that foreign technology will not be adopted. Only our hybrid and pure line technology will be adopted,” he said.
Secondly, Singh said there should be a maximum retail price for seeds. “Earlier, farmers in villages used to exchange seeds among themselves. Now, companies are making huge profits, they modify seeds in the name of pest control, but this only breeds more pests,” he said.
Stressing that the Seeds law still needs reform, he said there is a need to have seed insurance. “Companies selling seeds should guarantee production. If there is a loss of more than 10–20 per cent, compensation should be provided,” he said adding full cost should be reimbursed to farmers if the crop is completely destroyed.
Published on February 12, 2026
