New Delhi, Aug. 28 -- When farmers sow seeds that fail to sprout, the result can be devastating-lost harvests, mounting debts, and shattered livelihoods. Last year alone, inspectors found more than 32,000 seed samples across India to be substandard, often sold under trusted brand names.

To curb this menace, the government is preparing to expand its digital seed authentication system nationwide, two people aware of the plan said.

The initiative, known as Sathi-short for Seed Authentication, Traceability and Holistic Inventory-was launched in April 2023 by the agriculture ministry in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre. Already operational in 23 states and union territories, it tracks seeds through the entire production cha...