Telangana State Seed and Organic Certification Authority (TSSOCA) was on Saturday presented with the Best Seed Certification Authority award in the country during the India Seed awards event held virtually.
The TSSOCA has been selected for the award jointly by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPVFRA) and seed industry. The award was presented virtually by Union Minister of Agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar and Chief Executive Officer of National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA) Ashok Dalawai.
In his acceptance address, director of TSSOCA K. Keshavulu said the agency has developed into a model certification authority in the country certifying seed produced in 10 States and Union Territories as also exporting seed under the OECD programme to several countries.
Stating that the TSSOCA with working ties with international agencies such as ISTA, OECD, ISF, UPOV, FAO and others, had been working for capacity building among seed producing farmers and companies with training programmes and seminars. The agency had been certifying production of paddy, sorghum (jowar), maize, pearl millet (bajra), pigeon pea (red gram), green gram, black gram, bengal gram (chick pea), groundnut and others in 1.8 lakh acres to 2.2 lakh acres area and supplying the certified seed to farmers within the State and outside.
Mr. Keshavulu explained that under the OECD programme, the TSSOCA had exported over 313 tonnes of sorghum, paddy, bajra, canola (mustard), bajra, sunflower and others during the last four years – from 2016-17 to 2019-20 to Egypt, Sudan, Philippines, Tanzani, Russia and other countries.
Locally, the agency has certified seed production in about 2.64 lakh acres producing nearly 2.29 lakh tonnes of 116 varieties in 2015-16, over 2.28 lakh acres for 1.98 lakh tonnes seed of 116 varieties in 2016-17, nearly 1.8 lakh acres for 1.69 lakh tonnes seed of 100 varieties in 2017-18, over 1.69 lakh acres for nearly 1.76 lakh tonnes seed of 123 varieties in 2018-19 and nearly 1.66 lakh acres for about 1.78 lakh tonnes seed of 119 varieties in 2019-20.
