The Andhra Pradesh Seed Monitoring Cell of the National Seed Project, which has taken up an ambitious 'by-farmer, of-farmer, for-farmer' Village Seed Development Programme, has launched a seed production initiative where farmers would produce 2.5 lakh quintals of seeds in 10,000 hectare with the help of 700 scientists in Andhra Pradesh. | |
| The programme, first of its kind in the country, covers farmers in Prakasam, Guntur, Krishna, West Godavari, East Godavari, Khammam and Nalgonda districts. |
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| The cell has identified farmers' specific requirement of seeds of various crops for the on-going kharif (first crop) and rabi (second crop) seasons. |
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| Select farmers would voluntarily sow breeder seeds supplied by scientists at 50 per cent subsidy, produce foundation seeds, process and store them before selling them at attractive prices. |
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| "The scheme, which involves full participation of farmers at every stage, is expected to put an end to the flooding of markets with fake seeds by hundreds of unauthorised companies. Also, agriculture varsities in the state and 22 seed farms under the State Seeds Corporation are unable to supply sufficient seeds to farmers, particularly that of pulses and other cash crops," Gopal Reddy, professor of agronomy and head of the Seed Monitoring Cell, told Business Standard. |
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| In every agricultural division of the seven districts, three scientists of Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University, Hyderabad, and Regional Agricultural Research Centre, Lam, Guntur, besides agriculture extension officers, have joined the exercise. |
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| The joint directors and assistant directors of the agriculture department and prominent farmers of the seven districts have helped Reddy finalise the list of the seed requirement. They will also assist him in identifying progressive farmers to be involved in the seed production programme. |
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| "Under the programme, farmers should themselves undertake processing of foundation seeds obtained from breeder seeds, which they say is a costly affair and beyond their poor financial situation. The monitoring cell would consider their suggestions for setting up seed banks and small mobile processing units at the mandal level," Reddy said. |
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| The monitoring cell is also striving to rope in government agencies and even reputed private companies to buy seeds at profitable prices from farmers. |
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| "Farmers are worried over who ultimately would buy the seeds from them. They have urged that they should get the seeds certified by the agricultural department, which would turn them into businessmen, making it mandatory for them to get a licence with a registered number to sell seeds. This would also bring them under the Seeds Act, scrutiny of agencies such as commercial tax department, and other attendant problems," he said. |
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| The programme, if succeeds, will be extended to other states too. |
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