Seed Production: How is the seed production business becoming a good source of income for these farmers?

Seed Production: Farming will be easy if the seeds are good. Sometimes farmers have to face the problem of lack of good seeds. Many times they are not able to get good seeds on time. In such a situation, if farmers produce seeds themselves, then not only will they earn more income, but they will also get quality seeds. For seed production, farmers should know the type of seed and the right method of production.

Types of seeds

There are many types of seeds, such as nuclear seed, breeder seed, base seed, certified seed, verified seed.

Base seed-

Its seed is produced from breeder seed. This seed is completely pure.

This category of seeds is produced in agricultural universities, agricultural colleges, agricultural research institutes, agricultural science centers, farms of the state agricultural department or in the fields of fully trained farmers.

The field of the crop planted for seed is inspected by the concerned officials.

A white tag is put on the bags of the produced seeds.

Certified Seed-

It is produced from base seed or by multiplying certified seed.

This category of seeds is produced in the fields of selected trained progressive farmers under the supervision of the Regional Seed Corporation. The field is monitored by the concerned officials.

Usually this seed is sold to farmers for crop production. This seed bags have a blue tag.

Verified Seed-

This seed is produced from certified or base seed.

There is no tag of any kind on the seed bags, but the entire responsibility of its purity lies with the producing institution.

Seed Production Technology

For advanced seed production, it is important to have correct information about it. For producing any kind of seeds, keep in mind that they are right for that area or field.

Choosing the right field for seed production

For good seed production, choose a field that is free from weeds and diseases. Prepare the field well according to the crop. Pick and throw away the remains and weeds of the old crop. Level the field according to the crop and make rows, which vary according to the crop.

Seed treatment before sowing seeds

Seed treatment is necessary before sowing to protect the crop from pests and diseases. This means treating the seeds by mixing fungicide or insecticide or both medicines. It is necessary to treat legume crops with rhizobium culture. Always sow or transplant the crop in rows on time and in proper moisture condition. In seed crops, the seed rate is kept lower than in normal crops. Whereas the distance between plants and rows should be kept more.

Use of Manure and Fertilizer in Seed Crop

The seed crop needs nutrients for good growth of plants and proper preparation of grains. For this, compost, vermicompost or cow dung manure should be given in balanced quantities. Apart from this, nitrogen, phosphorus and potash should also be given according to the crop as per the quantity prescribed by experts.

Weed control and rogging in seed crop

Weeds reduce crop production. Therefore, it is necessary to remove them from time to time. Rogging is a process by which plants of other species of the same crop are identified and removed by hand so that the purity of the seed crop is maintained.

Crop protection and inspection in seed production

It is important to ensure that the seed crop is not affected by pests and diseases and if it is affected, it is necessary to take immediate measures to control it. In order to get the tag for the seed crop on the basis of category, the field is inspected by the Seed Corporation or the State Seed Certification Officer.

Timely harvesting

The seed crop should be harvested only after it is fully ripe. The moisture content of the grains should be checked before harvesting. Also keep in mind that seeds of other species should not be mixed in it.

Seed storage and packing

Storage is very important in seed production, because if care is not taken in it, then the germination capacity and quality of the seeds can be affected. Seeds should be stored only after cleaning them thoroughly. Farmers can earn profit by packing as per the requirement and selling them to the Seed Corporation or any good institution at a fair price.

Seed production business is giving profit to farmers

Farmer Chandrashekhar Singh of Tadia, Rajatalab, Varanasi has been doing research work on seeds for 30-35 years. His seeds are in demand in more than 50 districts of Uttar Pradesh. He has also registered 8 varieties of paddy and one variety of wheat by the Government of India. He has also been awarded Padma Shri in 2021 for his contribution in the agriculture sector. He helps farmers by ensuring the availability of new varieties of seeds that give good yield in the market. 

Subsidy is available on seed production

Harjeet Singh, a resident of Nawada Kalan village in Hapur district of Uttar Pradesh, started seed production with 10 bighas of land. Harjeet Singh’s initial investment in the field of seed production was about Rs 5 lakh. Through contract farming, he has connected more than 100 farmers to his seed production work. Today, more than a thousand farmers from 200 villages of his area buy seeds directly from him. Harjeet Singh also provides them training related to seed planting if needed. Harjeet Singh Grewal tells that after taking training from NABARD’s Agri Clinic and Agri Business Center, one can also apply for a loan. For more information, farmers can contact their nearest NABARD office.

Profit in seed production

Vijaygiri, a farmer from Ramnagar block of West Champaran in Bihar, is doing many experiments on paddy crop. Vijaygiri, who is involved in seed production business, is also getting profit from his experiments. Let us tell you that Vijaygiri cultivates black, red, green and magic rice. The yield is 16 to 18 quintals in one acre. The yield from his crop is sold in the form of seeds. He is supplying seeds to every state of the country. About 30 thousand to 35 thousand farmers are associated with him. After taking out the cost, he gets a profit of about 50 percent.