The Telangana’s capital is home to at least 400 seed companies with a production capacity of six tonnes per hour as the climate is conducive to seed growth, and several allied farm research institutions are also around the city. Yet, it lacks a well-equipped modern facility to check the quality and ensure that international standards prevailed.
The gap is likely to be bridged soon with the Centre and State governments joining hands to develop a seed lab having the backing of the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA), an independent organisation formed to foster qualitative standards in seed production, sampling, testing and marketing across the world.
The Rs. 6.19 crore ISTA-accredited lab is being built adjacent to Prof. Jayashankar TS Agriculture Research University at Rajendranagar with the Centre releasing Rs. 3.25 crore and TS contributing Rs. 2.94 crore.
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“We have a testing lab, but it is woefully inadequate and there is an urgent need to have the latest technology for higher precision to assess the physical and genetic purity of seeds so that quality standards are instilled in our seed protocol to help farmers and improve our exports,” says K. Keshavulu, Director, Telangana State Seed Certification Agency (TSSCA).
Good quality seeds is the basic step in agriculture research, but this has been missing despite crores of rupees poured into various farm activities, he says. And despite being the fifth largest producer of seeds, India has not been able to make a dent in the international seeds trade because of lack of adherence to quality standards and certification, he points out, adding that the ISTA lab would go a long way in fostering it.
Prof. Keshavulu, the first Indian on the ISTA executive committee, expects the new lab to be ready within a year with equipment being sourced from Germany, Netherlands, etc., besides indigenous firms. Once fully operational, it would also act as a referral laboratory for conflicting results among seed growers, NGOs, seed industry, seed organisations, researchers, students etc.
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TSSCA was established earlier this year as the nodal agency for implementing the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) certification programme to improve protocols in seeds cultivation, testing and so on for States of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. ISTA standards would help meet OECD seed certification rules that are accepted worldwide.
“The government is keen on making Hyderabad the seed bowl of the world. We are also going to request the Union Government to sanction a separate seed certification and testing lab here to cater to the south Indian States in addition to the existing one at Varnasi,” informs Agriculture Secretary C. Parthasarathi.