Policy Update
Pritha Chowdhary
Background
Agriculture remains a cornerstone of India’s economy and rural livelihoods. Agriculture and allied activities employ around 46.1% of the country’s workforce, making the sector one of the largest sources of employment in India, while contributing nearly one-fifth of national income at current prices. The sector is particularly important for rural communities, where agriculture continues to account for the majority of employment (Economic Survey 2025-26). Improving agricultural productivity is essential not only for increasing farm output but also for strengthening rural livelihoods and ensuring long-term food security.
Within this context, the availability, quality and suitability of seeds assume particular importance. Seeds determine a significant part of a crop’s yield potential and influence its ability to withstand pests, diseases, drought, heat, flooding and other environmental stresses. As climate change increases production risks and agricultural resources such as land and water face growing pressures, the development and widespread adoption of high-yielding, pest-resistant and climate-resilient crop varieties have become increasingly important to India’s agricultural policy agenda.
Against this backdrop, the Government of India announced the National Mission on High-Yielding Seeds (NMHYS) in the Union Budget 2025–26. The Mission was proposed as part of a broader agricultural strategy aimed at increasing productivity, strengthening agricultural research and improving the availability of quality inputs to farmers. The Mission is particularly relevant because India faces the dual challenge of increasing agricultural output while maintaining resilience against climate variability. High-yielding varieties can increase productivity from existing land resources, while pest- and climate-resistant varieties can reduce production risks and potentially lower losses.
Functioning
The National Mission on High-Yielding Seeds is designed around three principal objectives:
- Strengthening the research ecosystem
- Targeted development and propagation of high-yielding, pest-resistant and climate-resilient seeds
- Ensuring commercial availability of more than 100 seed varieties released since July 2024
The Mission was allocated ₹100 crore for 2025–26. According to a Rajya Sabha response in April 2025, its research focus would include oilseeds, pulses, selected cereals and vegetable crops. The Mission needs to be understood alongside existing seed-related interventions, particularly the Sub-Mission on Seeds and Planting Materials (SMSP). SMSP, operational since 2014–15, focuses on seed production, processing, storage and certification. By 2025, it had contributed to the creation of 6.85 lakh Seed Villages, production of 1,649.26 lakh quintals of quality seeds and benefits to around 2.85 crore farmers PIB-Empowering Indian Farmers (2025). NMHYS represents a shift towards strengthening the research, development and commercialization side of the seed ecosystem rather than merely increasing seed availability. A government response in August 2025 indicated that the Mission would include facilities and capabilities related to genotyping, phenotyping, speed breeding, doubled-haploid technology, seed processing and seed storage. It would also support the development of cultivars resistant to biotic and abiotic stresses.
Performance
The Mission builds upon a broader agricultural research ecosystem that has demonstrated considerable progress in developing high-yielding and stress-resilient varieties. Between 2014 and 2024, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) developed 2,900 location-specific high-yielding field-crop varieties, of which 2,661 were tolerant to one or more biotic or abiotic stresses PIB-Pest Resistant Seeds (2025). This provides an important research base for the National Mission on High-Yielding Seeds, which seeks to accelerate the development and propagation of high-yielding, pest-resistant and climate-resilient varieties. The Seed Replacement Rate (SRR) indicates the proportion of cropped area sown with certified seeds rather than farm-saved seeds. Available projections indicate improvement across several major crops.
Table 1: Seed replacement rate in India for major crops (in %)
| Crop | 2011-12 | 2019-20 | 2025-26* | 2030-31 |
| Rice | 36 | 38 | 40 | 43 |
| Wheat | 33 | 42 | 41 | 45 |
| Nutri-cereals | 42 | 41 | 55 | 58 |
| Maize | 57 | 68 | 64 | 66 |
| Pulses | 25 | 42 | 44 | 48 |
| Oilseeds | 48 | 44 | 45 | 45 |
| Sugarcane | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Source: Crop Husbandry, Agriculture Inputs, Demand and Supply, NITI Aayog, 2024
Note: *SRR for 2025-26 and 2030-31 is projected by NITI Aayog on the basis of growth between 2011-12 and 2021-22.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare released a draft Seeds Bill, 2025 in November 2025 for public comments. The draft Bill aims to regulate the quality of seeds and planting materials to ensure availability of quality seeds for farms. It also aims to curb the sale of spurious and poor-quality seeds (PIB-Seeds Bill 2025). Under the National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA), 298 climate-resilient varieties tolerant to drought, flooding or heat were demonstrated across 448 villages in 151 climatically vulnerable districts. More recently, India has also adopted advanced technologies such as genome editing, molecular breeding and speed breeding to accelerate crop improvement (PIB-Climate Change). These developments align closely with the Mission’s focus on climate-resilient high-yielding seeds.
The performance of the National Mission on High-Yielding Seeds needs to be assessed cautiously, as its implementation has faced an initial administrative delay. Although the Union Budget 2025–26 allocated ₹100 crore to the Mission, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare reported in March 2026 that no funds were utilised during 2025–26, as the Standing Finance Committee (SFC) memorandum was approved only on 23 March 2026. Further, no allocation was made for the Mission in the 2026–27 Budget. Consequently, it remains premature to evaluate the Mission using conventional outcome indicators such as improvements in crop yields, farmer incomes or adoption rates, as its direct agricultural impact is yet to materialise.
Impact
Improving agricultural productivity
High-yielding varieties can increase output per unit of cultivated land. This is particularly important for India, where expanding agricultural land is constrained and increasing productivity is essential for meeting rising food demand.
Strengthening climate resilience
Climate-resilient varieties can help farmers deal with drought, heat, flooding, salinity and other stresses. Government information on the Mission specifically identifies both biotic and abiotic stress resistance as areas of focus.
Improving food and nutritional security
The Mission’s emphasis on pulses, oilseeds, cereals and vegetables has implications for both food security and nutritional security. Higher productivity in pulses and oilseeds can also contribute to reducing dependence on imports.
Strengthening agricultural R&D
Investment in genotyping, phenotyping, computational research and speed breeding can improve the efficiency of agricultural research. Such infrastructure can shorten the time required to identify and develop varieties suited to specific agro-climatic conditions.
Emerging Issues
1. Implementation delays are a major concern. The absence of expenditure during 2025–26 indicates that administrative approval and institutional preparation must be completed quickly if the Mission is to achieve its intended objectives.
2. Promoting high-yielding seeds might lead to a decline in native seeds. If farmers start using commercially supplied seeds, the demand for traditional varieties might drop, causing them to disappear over time.
3. The widespread use of a few high-yielding varieties could lead to monoculture farming. Monoculture may boost yields temporarily but also makes crops vulnerable to diseases and pests. Monocultures have historically caused serious crop failures when one pest or disease strikes, ruining entire fields.
4. Shifting to uniform seed varieties might reduce pollinator diversity, as different crops and their flowering cycles help support populations of bees and butterflies. When biodiversity is lost, the ecosystem suffers and farmers do too in the long run.
5. There are concerns that small-scale farmers may become too dependent on corporate seed companies if they are unable to access or cultivate indigenous seeds. Ensuring protections for traditional farming practices will be key to maintaining seed sovereignty and biodiversity.
Way forward
- The government should establish clear annual targets for research, seed multiplication, certification, commercial availability and farmer adoption. These indicators should be publicly monitored.
- agricultural biodiversity should be incorporated into the Mission. Conservation of indigenous and traditional varieties through gene banks and community-level systems can complement the development of modern high-yielding varieties.
- Region-specific seed strategies should be developed. Varieties should be tested under different agro-climatic conditions before large-scale promotion, particularly in drought-prone, flood-prone and heat-stressed regions.
Selected References and Important Links
1. Shaikh, B. B., & Gupta, N. D. (2025, April 4). Making ‘National Mission on High Yielding Seeds’ actionable. Vivek PARC Foundation. https://vivekparcfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Making-%E2%80%98National-Mission-on-High-Yielding-Seeds-Actionable_Final.pdf
2. PRS Legislative Research. (2026). Demand for grants 2026–27 analysis: Agriculture and farmers welfare
3. PRS Legislative Research. (2025). Demand for grants 2025–26 analysis: Agriculture and farmers welfare. https://prsindia.org/budgets/parliament/demand-for-grants-2025-26-analysis-agriculture-and-farmers-welfare?utm_s
4. Press Information Bureau. (2025, June 7). Empowering Indian farmers. Government of India.
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressNoteDetails.aspx?ModuleId=3&NoteId=154580&lang=1®=20&utm_s
5. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. (2025, April 4). Status of National Mission on High Yielding Seeds (Rajya Sabha Starred Question No. 373). Government of India.
https://sansad.in/getFile/annex/267/AS373_7owq2i.pdf?source=pqars
6. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. (2026, March 27). Status of National Mission on High Yielding Seeds (Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3847). Government of India.
https://sansad.in/getFile/annex/270/AU3847_TrA2cT.pdf?source=pqars
7. Chauhan, S. (2025, February 3). Budget 2025-26: Government’s high-yielding seeds mission raises concerns over crop diversity. Down To Earth.
8. Press Information Bureau. (2025, March 19). Agricultural research and development. Government of India. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2112392&utm_s®=48&lang=2
About the Contributor
Pritha Choudhury is a postgraduate in Economics from Jadavpur University. Her academic interests include public policy, economic development, innovation policy, and data-driven policy analysis.
Reviewers: Kavin, Dolly Kaushik
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in this policy update are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of IMPRI or any affiliated institution. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information and data presented, readers are encouraged to verify facts independently before relying on them for any decision-making purpose.
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