Union Minister of Agriculture, Farmers' Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated the Asian Seed Congress 2025 in Mumbai on November 17, 2025. The five-day Congress, organised by the Asia and Pacific Seed Association (APSA), carries the theme "Sowing the Seeds of Prosperity through Quality Seeds". The logo of the Congress was unveiled at the inaugural function. In his address, the Minister stated that the core objectives of the Government of India are to ensure food security, provide nutritious food, and keep farming profitable for farmers, focusing on productivity-per-hectare, good seeds, lower input costs, fair prices, and diversification. Chouhan said the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and state institutions are developing bio-fortified and climate-resilient crop varieties to address malnutrition. He informed the gathering that India has 15 agro-climatic zones and that two rice varieties have been developed using Genome Editing technology, which will increase productivity by 19 to 40 per cent with less water usage and lower carbon emissions. The Minister appealed to the private sector to make seeds affordable for small and deprived farmers and asked companies to take action against poor-quality seeds with low germination capacity. He noted that the Government is considering a new law related to seeds and pesticides in the upcoming budget session, and urged all agriculture sector stakeholders to log into the SATHI Portal of the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare to utilise its facilities. Chouhan also stressed the need for more research and development in coarse grains.