New Delhi [India], October 27 : Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, on Monday inaugurated the newly established state-of-the-art vegetable and flower seed processing and packaging unit of the National Seeds Corporation (NSC) at Pusa Complex here.
According to a release from the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, he also virtually inaugurated five NSC seed processing plants located at Bareilly, Dharwad, Hassan, Suratgarh and Raichur.
The vegetable seed processing plant at Beej Bhawan, Pusa, New Delhi, has a processing capacity of 1 tonne per hour, while the other five NSC plants have a capacity of 4 tonnes per hour each. These facilities are equipped with advanced technologies to ensure the availability of high-quality seeds to farmers and to enhance the quality of seed production across the country.
During the programme, Chouhan also launched the 'Seed Management 2.0' system and an online seed booking platform for farmers. Through this platform, farmers will now be able to book their seed requirements online, ensuring greater transparency and accessibility. He emphasised that it is crucial for quality seeds to reach small and marginal farmers.
Chouhan stated that the new facilities will ensure easy access to high-quality seeds, significantly improving agricultural productivity.
"These new plants will fulfil farmers' requirements, which is extremely important. During the recently conducted 'Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan', the maximum number of complaints received were related to spurious and substandard seeds. Hence, ensuring the supply of quality seeds is essential, and NSC has a vital role to play in this. The government is taking strict measures in this regard," the Union Minister said.
Commending the NSC team, the Union Minister described this initiative as a major step towards a self-reliant agricultural system, adding that the role of NSC is not merely to earn a livelihood but to fill the nation's grain reserves.
Chouhan urged the corporation to undertake innovations in regional languages to make its services more accessible to farmers and curb the arbitrary practices of private companies.
"Private players have their own role, but public corporations have their own distinct importance. The functioning of State Seed Development Corporations also needs to be improved. Considering all these aspects, NSC should work with a clear roadmap," he said.
The event was attended by Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi, NSC CMD and Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare, Maninder Kaur Dwivedi, Joint Secretary Ajit Kumar Sahu, and senior officials from NSC and the Agriculture Ministry.
The National Seeds Corporation Limited is a Schedule 'B' - Mini Ratna Category-I Company, fully owned by the Government of India. Since its establishment in 1963, NSC has been playing a pivotal role in producing and supplying quality seeds to farmers across the country.
Speaking to media after the inauguration, the Union Minister congratulated the entire team of the Indian Seed Development Corporation.
He said, "If we want to increase crop production, the first condition is the availability of quality seeds. For the past 63 years, the Seed Development Corporation has been doing this work with complete dedication. The achievements of the past years are worthy of congratulations. Today, the inauguration of 6 seed processing units for processing good seeds has taken place in Delhi, Bareilly, Dharwad, Hassan, Raichur, and Suratgarh."
He said that this will enable farmers to "get even higher quality seeds."