The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) under the Department of Consumer Affairs has published a new Indian Standard IS 20201:2026 titled 'Community Seed Bank Management - Requirements'. This voluntary certifiable management system standard provides comprehensive guidelines for establishing and operating Community Seed Banks (CSBs) across India to conserve indigenous crop varieties and enhance agricultural resilience against climate change impacts including erratic precipitation, rising temperatures, and prolonged droughts.
The standard outlines rigorous requirements for the entire seed bank lifecycle, including organizational arrangements, seed collection and acquisition, viability testing, cleaning, drying, storage, documentation, quality assurance, seed regeneration practices, risk management, and continual improvement. It aims to protect traditional seeds that possess vital traits such as natural drought tolerance, disease resistance, and high nutritional value.
IS 20201:2026 aligns with the government's National Food Security and Nutrition Mission (NFSNM), which provides one-time assistance of ₹50 lakh for establishing community seed banks. The standard also reinforces statutory protections under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act, 2001 and the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. The standard was developed by the Biodiversity Sectional Committee (EED 06) under BIS's Environment and Ecology Department, with ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources leading the drafting process along with inputs from National Biodiversity Authority, Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Authority, Rythu Sadhikara Samstha, and BAIF Development Research Foundation.
The standard can be downloaded free of cost from the official BIS portal and is recommended for adoption by community seed banks, cooperative societies, and agricultural stakeholders to foster a quality-conscious, self-reliant ecosystem for indigenous seed preservation.