‘NSAI made quality seeds available to farmers’

Raju Kapoor is the executive director of the National Seed Association of India (NSAI), which is the apex organisation representing the Indian seed industry with nearly 290 companies as its members. Soumabha Nandi finds out what are the achievements of the apex body and about its recent initiative called the ‘Indian Seed Congress.’

What have been the achievements of NSAI since its inception in 2007?
NSAI has in a major way helped in consolidating the seed industry of the nation where the farmers and stakeholders, including the public and private sector, have united to address issues related to seeds, which is the key to agricultural development. We have also been able to integrate various scientific methods and technological advancements through research and development to provide the best options available to the Indian farmers. NSAI has slowly and steadily developed as a platform for knowledge sharing which benefits the agricultural scenario of the country.

Has there been any change in the policies for the development of the agricultural scenario of the country initiated by the NSAI? Through the National Seeds Mission, we have successfully incorporated the private sector to work in collaboration with the government. Technologically, the public sector companies fall short when it comes to fulfilling the demands of the market. Through the promotion of the private sector, we can achieve 10% yield for trade and import of seeds.

Has the intervention of NSAI benefited the farmers?
The best thing that NSAI has done is that it has made quality seeds available to the farmers. NSAI has actively contributed to the seed industry policy development with the governments concerned to ensure that policies and regulations create an enabling environment for the farmers. What is NSAI’s expectations from the government? The agricultural industry is huge and the capital involved is heavy. If the government can promote investments in the sector by providing incentives in such a manner that the tax deduction is less, then large profit margins can be earned. The second major challenge is harmonisation of the variant rules in the various states. We expect the government to do away with the demarcated rules in various regions and maintain symmetry so that stakeholders and  farmers face less complications. The third major barrier remains the subsidy issue. A farmer can turn out to be great entrepreneur, provided he can make his own choice. The government should either do away with subsidy or pay it directly to the farmer. Besides this, we want the government to promote the public-private partnership, as that can work wonders for the industry.

The third ‘Indian Seed Congress’ (ISC) will be held in the city. What is the objective of such an initiative?
This year the theme of ISC is ‘Seeding Rural Prosperity’, which will focus closely on how the Indian seed industry in partnershipwith all the stakeholders has been actively driving the agricultural growth, especially in rural India. In a bid to emphasise its significance and discuss the challenges, leading business houses (seed producers), key government officials, scientists and regulators will be part of the event.