Seed-Act 1966

Seed is the primary and the most important input in Crop Production. Without seed no plant and no crop production is possible. A small or even tiny seed when germinates, develops into various sizes of trees including huge ones. When seed gets water and soil or any other medium and necessary nutrients, it grows, matures and single seed gives several flowers, fruits and seeds. Thus, seed can be considered as a miracle of plant life. To obtain final product of flowers, fruits and seeds, parent seed has to be pure, health and clean. The farmers who produce several crops including foodgrain crops, must get good quality seeds to ensure more production. The farmers of India are well aware of the importance of good quality seeds since ages and they use to keep aside good part of their produce as seed. But in modern agriculture several improved,high yielding and hybrid seeds have been developed and such seeds are produced on research farms under the supervision and guidance of experts. The farmers have to purchase these seeds from recognised or authorised seed producers. Farmers cannot produce such seeds and they have to depend on such seed producers. To ensure availability of good seeds to farmers, to avoid malpractices in seed supply/seed sale and to avoid cheating of illeterate farmers, the Government of India passed seed Act in 1966

Seed Act 1966:

This act was passed on 29^th dec`1966 and came into operation from 2^nd October, 1969 in all the States and Union and Territories.

In addition Seed (Regulation Order was also promulgated in December,1983. The objective was to regulate the quality of seeds supplied - sold to the farmers. The important provisions of the Act are :

1. To establish Central Seed Committee to advise Central Government on all matters of Seeds.

2. (A) To establish Seed Testing Laboratories at the State level by all the States
   (B) To establish Central Seed testing laboratories.

3. To declare crops and recommended varieties of which seed production is to be undertaken on commercial scale.
4. To decide minimum standards of seeds in respect of germination percentage and physical purity or cleanliness ( free from foreign bodies)
5. To establish seed certification agencies for the States.
6. To grant permission by seeds certification agency to sell seeds certified by it.
7. To frame rules for the sale of certified seeds of declared crops and their varieties.
8. To appoint seed analysts and crop inspectors to check quality in the field.
9. To frame the rules to be adopted by seed inspectors and seed analysis
10. To decide limits for import and export of seeds.
11. To decide about giving recognition to seed certification agencies in foreign countries .
12. To take action against those who violate the provisions of this act and interfere in work of seed inspectors.
13. To punish any agency or company engaged in trading of seeds and found guilty.
14. There are four types of seeds.
    1. Breeder's Seeds
    2. Foundation Seed
    3. Certified Seed
    4. Truthful Seed.

To avoid cross pollination and to maintain genetic purity of seeds, seed plots have to be isolated from plots of general cultivation. These isolation distances for different crops are fixed (see table 1)

The minimum standards in terms of germination percentage and physical purity (clean and free from foreign bodies ) have also been fixed for different types of seeds (see table 2)

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