Easy-to-digest soy, protein-rich quinoa among 21 seeds to notified soon

The crops will take 2-3 years to reach farmer fields

From high protein quinoa to soybean seeds whose pods can be consumed by humans while the oil is not only easily digestible but can also be stored longer, the Centre’s bucket-list of 21 bio-fortified seeds that will be notified in the next few months contains a whole host of items that are expected to reach the farmers in the next 2-3 years.

Announcing the newer varieties as part of the Covid-19 relief package, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said that earlier focus of research was on developing higher crop varieties while the attention towards nutrition, climate resilience and other traits were missing.

Buckwheat and winged beans are also part of the list of crops that are highly under-utilised but have high growth potential in the country.

Also in the list is high-zinc bajra to develop immunity.

During the past 5-6 years, the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), the nodal body that governs and runs the country’s seeds programme, has released 71 bio-fortified seed varieties of various crops that include rice, wheat, maize, pearl millet, finger millets, linseeds, mustard and also vegetables such a cauliflower, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.

Of these, 29 bio-fortified seed varieties have already entered the seed chain and will be cultivated in large scale in the coming kharif season and also the rabi season that follows thereafter.

“These 29 consists of almost all the identified bio-fortified vegetables and also a host of cereals and pulses including wheat,” a senior scientist from the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) told Business Standard.

He said the 17 bio-fortified seeds in eight major crops dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year during the World Food Day programme were part of this original list of 71 identified seeds.

So far, the ICAR has provided 11,000 quintals of bio-fortified seeds in various crops to state-run research agencies such as National Seed Corporation and State Seed Corporation and also to over 200 private seed companies.

Of, this bio-fortified wheat comprises a sizable chunk of seeds that has been availed by the private companies for commercial use.’

In the last few years, around 4 million hectares of wheat has been brought under bio-fortified seeds, while 0.15 million hectares of bio-fortified mustard and pearl millet has also been grown.

“The biggest problem is traceability at the mandi level, because in a mandi it is not known which wheat is grown from bio-fortified seeds which is not. But, ICAR and other agencies are working to improve this,” the official explained.

He said large-scale availability of seeds also remains a cause of concern because of the high quality standards that needs to be adhered to before a bio-fortified hybrid variety is released for commercial use.

One solution to this could be further strengthening the extension system.

“The extension system in the state governments is in a bad shape and to improve that newer and modern methods such as digital extension systems and extensive use of electronic means to reach widest possible farmers should be applied,” NITI Aayog member and eminent agriculture economist Ramesh Chand told Business Standard.

Meanwhile, in a related development, the Central government along with the states is working to increase the capacity of fortifying rice from the current 15,000 tons to 0.35 million tons by incentivizing rice millers, an official statement said today.

It is running a pilot project on distribution of fortified rice through the public distribution system in six states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh.