The government has finalised the Seed Bill, and its introduction in Parliament is awaiting political approval, sources said
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India may formally adopt gene editing by mentioning it in the proposed seed Bill either through main Bill or in the Rules if the government accepts experts’ suggestions to avoid the experience with regard to genetically modified (GM) crops. GM technology has not been permitted for commercial cultivation in any food crop after being released in India in 2002 for cotton. The private sector is keen to get some legal backing in gene editing, citing that ICAR’s two rice varieties are yet to be commercially released.The government has finalised the Seed Bill, and its introduction in Parliament is awaiting political approval, sources said. Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that both the Seed Bill and the Pesticide Management Bill are ready to be placed before the House. The draft Seed Bill was published for public feedback in November 2025, and over 14,000 suggestions/views were received by the agriculture ministry within the 30-day deadline.But sources said it is very difficult for the government to accept the suggestion since RSS-affiliated Bharatiya Kisan Sangh has objected to the word “transgenic" in the draft Bill, demanding its removal. It its submission to the government, BKS said: “The term ‘transgenic’ (referring to definitions under 2-zj-iii) shall be deleted from the document. Any form of transgenic or genetically modified seed shall not be taken into consideration.”Scaling up mootedIndustry body ASSOCHAM, in partnership with Grant Thornton Bharat, released a report titled “Seeds of Progress: Advancing Global Trade, Innovation and Sustainable Agriculture” on Monday, suggesting that gene editing, among other measures, should be scaled up.“Scale advanced breeding technologies, including molecular breeding, genomic selection, gene editing, speed breeding, digital phenotyping and Artificial Intelligence-enabled breeding analytics to shorten the 10–15-year varietal development cycle and improve genetic gain,” the report said.Expressing concern over rising cotton imports, founder chairman of the Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences (TAAS) and a former director-general of ICAR R S Paroda argued for adopting next-generation GM technologies.“India’s cotton sector has been steadily losing its global leadership over the last few years. Rising import dependence in a crop where India was the world’s largest producer till 2014 and the second-largest exporter underscores the urgent need to embrace next-generation GM technologies through science-based regulatory reforms, and to establish a long-term policy framework that can revive both our productivity and global standing,” Paroda said in a statement on July 31. Increasing dependence on cotton imports exposes India to unnecessary geopolitical and market risks, he said.ICAR commitmentThe ASSOCHAM’s report stayed away from mentioning GM technology and harped on gene editing. It said: “Increased investment in molecular breeding, biotechnology (BT), digital breeding tools and climate-resilient genetics will be essential if India has to compete in an increasingly innovation-driven global seed economy.”On July 26, a high-level round table on “Reforms in the Regulation and Approval of Genetically Modified (GM) and Genome-Edited (GE) Crop Plants” was organised by TAAS in collaboration with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII). A press release issued by the Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Ministry on the deliberations was later withdrawn due to the sensitivity of the issue.In the round table, ICAR’s DG M L Jat had reiterated ICAR’s unwavering commitment to advancing science-driven, evidence-based agricultural innovation and stressed the need for a balanced regulatory system that facilitates safe access to modern biotechnology information to achieve food and nutrition security, climate resilience and sustainable agricultural development.The meeting also emphasised that timely adoption of safe GM and GE crops is of utmost importance to enhance climate resilience, productivity, nutritional security, farmer income and global competitiveness of Indian agriculture.Published on August 3, 2026
