Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that the newly launched national-level seed cooperative called the Bharatiya Beej Sahakari Samiti Ltd (BBSSL) will strive to save India's indigenous and traditional seed while at the same time ensuring the genetic and physical purity of them.
Highlighting the need to provide quality certified seeds to farmers, Shah said that BBSSL has been established to boost domestic production as well as exports of certified seeds.
The minister said the total production of certified seeds is 465 lakh quintals, of which the share of the cooperative is only around 1 per cent. The demand for certified seeds is estimated to rise threefold and the cooperative sector should aim to have a 33 per cent share in them, he added.
"India is among a few countries in the world which has been practising agriculture since ancient times and therefore our traditional seeds are nature-friendly and healthy, which are much in demand in today's world. We need to protect traditional seed so that healthy food is produced, which will be done by the new seed cooperative BBSSL," Shah said while inaugurating a national symposium on 'Production of Improved and Traditional Seeds through the Cooperative Sector,' organised by the newly established BBSSL.
Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO), Krishak Bharati Cooperative Ltd (KRIBHCO), National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (Nafed), National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) have jointly promoted BBSSL.
During the function, Shah unveiled the logo, website and brochure of BBSSL. He also distributed membership certificates to BBSSL members.
More From This Section
Addressing the event, the minister said BBSSL has made a small beginning but this cooperative society is set to make a major contribution to India's seeds production.
In the coming years, Shah asserted, this new cooperative will play an important role in India's seed conservation, seed promotion and research work in the seed sector.
He pointed out that farmers are not getting certified seeds that have been produced scientifically, affecting not only farmers but also the country's production of food grains.
The minister rued that India's share in total global seeds exports is less than 1 per cent and said BBSSL would focus on enhancing exports of certified seeds from India.
Shah said the entire profit made by this cooperative will be distributed among farmers.
Shah said BBSSL would focus on production, testing, certification, processing, storage, labelling, packaging and exports of seeds simultaneously. "The entire ecosystem will be modern and world-class."
BBSSL will work in collaboration with ICAR, IRAI, agriculture universities and Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) among others, and there is no competition with these organisations, the minister said.
Shah said the five promoters of BBSSL have wide experience and reach among farmers, and the same is being utilised for the growth of the Indian seed sector.
BBSSL will provide assistance to cooperatives across the country in demand-based seed production, development of infrastructure for storage, processing, and packaging of seeds, logistics support, quality enhancement and standardisation, requisite certification, and marketing of the seeds produced.