NMS | Seed Production

Agriculture is valued as an asset with important social as well as economic significance. It provides many kinds of security against unforeseen risks and is understood as an importance means of meeting contingencies. Improved varieties give higher economic returns per unit area. The higher production using a sustainable approach and higher economic returns per unit area purport the logic of sustenance of livelihood even on a smaller portion of the land.

Maize is the staple food of the tribal people of Dahod district. Food security is one of the major problems in this area. To achieve food security on a sustainable basis, it is important to increase the production of maize. And to meet this situation, it is important to focus on the scientific cultivation of maize and to produce quality seeds to meet the requirement. Mostly, farmers do not get the required quantity of improved/certified seeds at the right time.

So to achieve sustainability of improved seeds, the Seed Production programme is important for stabilization of maize production. Seed is a critical and basic input for enhancing agricultural production and productivity in different agro-climatic regions. It is estimated to account for 20-25 percent of productivity. Efficacy of other agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation is largely determined by the quality of seed.

UNIQUENESS OF THE PROGRAMME

The combination of achieving sustainable maize production and to start seed production to meet the requirement of quality seed supported by village institutions will be a unique one at the scale in the most backward tribal district. Uniqueness would be fully managed by beneficiary. Another important aspect of this programme is that on a small patch of land, a family can sustain itself for food sufficiency.

Therefore with its replication, this programme is capable of bringing transformation of the tribal regions and its people. In subsequent replication on a massive scale, we have to envisage a situation the tribal farmers sustain both in seed production and maize productivity.

Promotion of Seed village concept:

• Seed producers group would be promoted with a motive of institutionalizing the seed multiplication program and backward-forward linkage in this regard.

• There would be one seed institution between one - two clusters (10 - 15 villages), which would identify its producers, with criteria as suggested in the program, and would channelize quality and timely inputs and other facilitation, as required in seed multiplication program.

• It would also procure, process and later sell the seed to the farmers, ensuring easy availability at affordable costs, in the village itself.

• Technical Facilitation and financial inputs will be provided to enroll these producer groups in certification process.

• An agreement would be formalized between the individual producers and the seed institutions to give buy back assurance to producers and to devise a mechanism for collection of the produce and its further processing and marketing in an institutionalized way.