158
6 Two Country Examples of PGRFA Conservation Systems
6.1.3
Production and Distribution of Quality Seed
The seed industry, rapidly developing and changing because of institutional
changes (Singh et aI., 1995 ), consists of various agencies, which are active in
enabling the seed availability of food crops, oilseeds and pulses, horticultural
crops, medicinal and aromatic plants, underutilized crops, commercial crops and
agro forestry. These agencies are:
• NBPGR for the promotion of germplasm use through the development of a
national data-base,
• ICAR institutes/state agricultural universities for the production of Breeders'
and Foundation seed (including the crop research networks),
• central and state seed agencies (National Seed Corporation, NSC; and State
Agro-Seed Corporations) for seed production, quality tests and labeling, and
• private seed agencies for the production of certified seed.
In 1988, 57% of arable land dedicated to crops with high-yielding varieties
potential was planted with seed of modern varieties (CMIE, 1988). It seems, after
a high increase of the amount of land under modem varieties at the beginning of
the 1970s, that the amount of land under modem varieties is somehow stabilizing
at around 55% (see Table 6.3).
In addition to the crops for which HYV are existent, there are other crops,
lacking the research and development in new, higher yielding varieties.
Consequently, only 30% of all arable land in India is cultivated with seeds of
HYV (Mishra, 1996).
Apart from the known problems of innovation adoption, one reason for this was
the restricted access of the private sector to the seed market. Until the late 1980s,
less than 20% of the required seed was produced and marketed by the organized
seed sector (ICR, 1995). Since October 1988, the new seed policy came into
effect, liberalizing the import of seeds and planting materials. The import duty on
seeds was reduced from over 90% to 15%. Additionally, the procedures for import
and clearance have been simplified. Furthermore, measures were taken to
encourage the production of more seed by the domestic seed market. The public
sector still supplies about 70% of all distributed seed at present, whereas the
private sector supplies the other 30% (Sharma, 1996).
Table 6.3. Trends in high-yielding varieties in Indian agriculture
Year
1970 1980 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987
171
181
183
184
185
186
187
188
Area under HYV
15.5 43.1
47.5 53.7 54.2 55.5 54.1
55.7
in million ha
% ofHYV to total area under 17
45
49
54
56
58
56
57
respective crops
Source:
CMIE,1988
6 Two Country Examples of PGRFA Conservation Systems
6.1.3
Production and Distribution of Quality Seed
The seed industry, rapidly developing and changing because of institutional
changes (Singh et aI., 1995 ), consists of various agencies, which are active in
enabling the seed availability of food crops, oilseeds and pulses, horticultural
crops, medicinal and aromatic plants, underutilized crops, commercial crops and
agro forestry. These agencies are:
• NBPGR for the promotion of germplasm use through the development of a
national data-base,
• ICAR institutes/state agricultural universities for the production of Breeders'
and Foundation seed (including the crop research networks),
• central and state seed agencies (National Seed Corporation, NSC; and State
Agro-Seed Corporations) for seed production, quality tests and labeling, and
• private seed agencies for the production of certified seed.
In 1988, 57% of arable land dedicated to crops with high-yielding varieties
potential was planted with seed of modern varieties (CMIE, 1988). It seems, after
a high increase of the amount of land under modem varieties at the beginning of
the 1970s, that the amount of land under modem varieties is somehow stabilizing
at around 55% (see Table 6.3).
In addition to the crops for which HYV are existent, there are other crops,
lacking the research and development in new, higher yielding varieties.
Consequently, only 30% of all arable land in India is cultivated with seeds of
HYV (Mishra, 1996).
Apart from the known problems of innovation adoption, one reason for this was
the restricted access of the private sector to the seed market. Until the late 1980s,
less than 20% of the required seed was produced and marketed by the organized
seed sector (ICR, 1995). Since October 1988, the new seed policy came into
effect, liberalizing the import of seeds and planting materials. The import duty on
seeds was reduced from over 90% to 15%. Additionally, the procedures for import
and clearance have been simplified. Furthermore, measures were taken to
encourage the production of more seed by the domestic seed market. The public
sector still supplies about 70% of all distributed seed at present, whereas the
private sector supplies the other 30% (Sharma, 1996).
Table 6.3. Trends in high-yielding varieties in Indian agriculture
Year
1970 1980 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987
171
181
183
184
185
186
187
188
Area under HYV
15.5 43.1
47.5 53.7 54.2 55.5 54.1
55.7
in million ha
% ofHYV to total area under 17
45
49
54
56
58
56
57
respective crops
Source:
CMIE,1988