Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is intensifying its efforts to foster research and development in seed production. With a vision to create new varieties of seeds as well as enhance existing ones, ICAR has established 57 Institutes and 40 All India Coordinated Research Projects/All India Network Projects across 930 centers at 45 State/Central Agricultural Universities.
Eight special projects, such as ICAR-National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) and the Network Project on Translational Genomics in Crop Plants, are dedicated to climate change research on seed varieties. These initiatives have resulted in record production of food grains of 323.055 Million MT for 2022-23 (2nd Advance Estimate) and horticultural crops totalling 345.32 Million MT during 2021-22.
Since 2008, India has been a member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Seed Scheme. This allows seeds produced according to OECD guidelines to be labeled and certified for international trade – providing hassle-free export to OECD member countries. Furthermore, through their Export Import Committee, Agriculture & Farmers Welfare also facilitates seed import and export transactions.
Today, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar – Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare – provided a written reply in Lok Sabha about ICAR’s ongoing research efforts in seed production research and development, which are expected to yield significant advancements for India’s agricultural industry.
ICAR’s research and development in seed production is essential for India to maintain food security and sustainable agriculture. With India’s population projected to reach 1.7 billion by 2050, there will be an ever-increasing demand for food, necessitating new and improved seed varieties with higher yields.
The organization’s efforts have already produced impressive results, with record food grain and horticultural crop production recently. With continued investment and support, ICAR can further advance research in seed production to develop even more resilient and productive crops that can withstand climate change impacts while helping meet growing food demands.
