The Draft Seeds Bill, 2025 is a landmark attempt to modernise India’s seed regulatory framework, but its success will depend on how well it accommodates the unique innovation cycles and market realities of the vegetable seed sector. The article argues for faster, crop-specific VCU protocols, proportionate compliance for small and regional seed firms, and a phased, practical approach to digital traceability and enforcement. It highlights the need for stronger public–private collaboration, specialised grievance redressal mechanisms, and policies that simultaneously encourage innovation, accountability, and farmer trust. Authored by Dr Sharan Angadi, Director, Advanced Training in Plant Breeding – ATPBR Foundation, the piece offers a balanced roadmap to make the new seed law future-ready, inclusive, and innovation-driven.

The Draft Seed Act, 2025 represents an important step toward modernising India’s seed regulation framework. However, the vegetable seed sector requires special consideration owing to its unique dynamics, short varietal life cycles, rapid innovation, diverse agro-climatic adaptability, and high private-sector participation. To ensure balanced growth and inclusivity, the Act can be further strengthened through targeted interventions that promote innovation, accountability, and farmer protection.

Vegetable crops typically have short commercial lifespans of three to five years, yet the current Value for Cultivation and Use (VCU) testing process extends over multiple seasons, delaying the market introduction of improved hybrids. A fast-track VCU protocol specifically designed for vegetables and other short-duration crops should be introduced, allowing multi-location private trials validated by accredited public laboratories. Private R&D data generated under NABL-accredited facilities must be formally recognised to avoid redundancy. Provisional registration for one season, based on preliminary VCU results, followed by post-release performance review, can help balance innovation with accountability. Developing crop-specific timelines, with single-season VCU testing for short-duration vegetables, will further accelerate innovation and availability.

Small and regional seed firms face disproportionate compliance costs due to uniform registration fees, infrastructure requirements, and extensive documentation. A tiered registration system based on company turnover or operational scale can alleviate this burden. Cluster-based or shared VCU trials for small enterprises, supported by public–private testing hubs established under a PPP model, would democratise access to testing infrastructure. Simplifying documentation through a single-window digital registration portal would further improve transparency and efficiency.

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