The Asian Seed Congress 2025 was inaugurated by Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Mumbai today. The logo for the Asian Seed Congress 2025 was also unveiled during the inaugural function, and the theme for this year’s Congress is “Sowing the Seeds of Prosperity through Quality Seeds.”
In his inaugural address, the Union Minister stated that the main objectives of the Government are to ensure the country’s food security, provide nutritious food to the people, and ensure that farming remains a profitable business for farmers. He said that the Government has focussed on setting a target to increase productivity per hectare, providing good seeds to farmers, and reducing production costs. He also informed that the government has given higher priority to ensuring fair prices for farmers’ produce, compensating them when needed, and focusing on the diversification of farming practices.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan stated that the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and various state institutions are making efforts to develop bio-fortified crop varieties as well as varieties resilient to climate change, to overcome the serious problem of malnutrition. The Union Minster emphatically stated that the contribution of the private sector, along with public sector institutions, is necessary for the development of high-quality seeds. He said that the seeds coming from the private sector for the Indian agricultural sector are costly, and since the majority of our farmers belong to the deprived class, they cannot afford these seeds. Therefore, he appealed to the private sector to make the prices of seeds more affordable.
The Union Minister said that if seeds that do not require changing every year are made available to the farmers, a major concern of our farming community will be relieved. He also instructed companies to address the problem of poor quality seeds with no or very low germination capacity and take action against those responsible. He said that it is necessary to produce high-quality seeds of pulses and oilseeds, and the contribution of the private sector is essential for this. He stated that the Government will bring a new law related to seeds and pesticides in the upcoming budget session, and a final decision will be taken after discussion with concerned parties. He also said that the seeds of vegetables and fruits are very expensive, and the government is considering what can be done to reduce their prices.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan appealed to every stakeholder of the agriculture sector to log in to the SATHI Portal, launched by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, and utilize the facilities available on this portal. He said that the development of climate-resilient varieties is the need of the hour. He mentioned that our country has 15 agro-climatic zones, and therefore, we need to develop varieties that can withstand drought, heat, and pesticides. He informed that two varieties of rice have been developed using the advanced technique of Genome Editing, which will increase productivity by 19 to 40 per cent with less water usage and also reduce carbon emissions.
While speaking to seed producers, he expressed the need for more research and development in the field of coarse grains. He appealed to private companies to present their issues before the government. He asked the companies to consider how the time taken to bring new seeds to the market can be reduced, and he agreed to make efforts to reduce the time required for testing these seeds. He also stated that the cost of testing is excessive, and the government is ready to work jointly with the private sector in this regard.
Giving a strong warning that those who take wrong steps regarding seeds and those involved in illegal business will never be forgiven, he urged the Government and the private sector to take strict action to curb such people.
N. Prabhakar Rao, Chairman of the National Seed Association of India (NSAI) said that Asian Seed Congress 2025 is an extremely important step for addressing modern changes and problem resolution in the seed sector. Ajay Rana, Chairman of the Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII), and Mr. Take Wah Koh, President of the Asia and Pacific Seed Association (APSA), are jointly co-chairing the Congress.
On the occasion, Biotechnologist and Geneticist, Trilochan Mohapatra was honoured for his significant contribution to the seed sector in the public domain.
Many informative sessions will be organised in the Asian Seed Congress 2025 scheduled from November 17 to 21, 2025. A workshop was organised on the first day of the Congress today, and the Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on November 20, 2025.
