1.
SEED PRODUCTION POLICIES AND
MARKETING SYSTEM IN
VEGETABLES
Dr. S. Rajendra Prasad
Vice Chancellor,
University of Agricultural Sciences
Bengaluru

2.
Quality seeds of HYV, increased fertilizer use, expansion of irrigation
facilities, extension efforts, improved farm practices and ingenuity &
industry of the Indian farmers The Green Revolution
The country has advanced from food scarcity & imports to food
security & exportable surpluses.
Growth of agriculture Growth of population and industrial
world.
Sustaining growth in agriculture Continuous development of
new and improved varieties of crops and efficient system of
production and supply of quality seeds to farmers.

3.
Indian Agriculture has made enormous strides in the past 50 years.
50 million tones 276 million tones(2016-17)
The policies of Govt. of India since independence liberalized
and encouraged the seed trade in India.
• The seed sector has made impressive progress over the last
three decades and several private seed firms with multinational
base are actively involving in vegetable seed production in India
Vegetable seed industry has positive influence on Indian economy
in terms of income and employment generation and earning
foreign exchange in international market.

4.
....... there is a strong co-relation between quality seed availability and
yield per se
Food Security v/s Seed Security
4
Per Seed More Yield
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
Quality/Certified seed
availability (Lakh q)
Food grain production
(MT)

5.
Present Scenario of Seed Industry/Strength
• Total Market Size (Million INR) : 150,000
• Market Size of PSUs (Million INR) : 45,000
• Market Size of Pvt. Companies : 105,000 (Million INR)
• Number of PSUs including SSCs. : 17
• Number of Pvt. Companies : About 500
• AICRPs - released 8187 varieties and hybrids in different crops
• Strong research base and network of public and private stake
holders
• Plant Genetic Resources (PGR) for trait development
• Well established seed regulatory and legislative frame work
• Seed quality assurance: 22 Seed Certification Agencies and 126
notified seed testing laboratories

6.
Ensuring Access to Seed
Issue Solution
Availability Does the performing
seeds that farmers need
exist?
Breeding for high quality seed suitable
to farmers’ need
Accessibility Can farmers easily access
the seed they need?
Efficient and reliable distribution
systems
Affordability Can the farmer afford the
seed?
Fair and affordable prices as per the
yield and other trait advantages to the
farmer
Utilization Do farmers have the
capacity to use quality
seed?
Diversity of extension services and
capacity building
Profitability Can farmers make a profit
from the seed?
Productive crops along with suitable
market prices can bring better profit to
farmers

7.
OVER
500 SEED
COMPANIES

8.
Vegetable Seed Market in India
• Okra is the largest crop in hybrid segment - 2000 MT followed by radish,
onion and sweet corn
• At present, the total vegetable seed market is Rs.4000 Cr ($580 million)
• The largest vegetable growing area –WB, followed by UP, Bihar, MP and
Gujarat
• By value, Solanaceaeous crops (Mostly F1 have largest market share of
19%, Cucurbits have 17% and Malvaceaeous crops have 16%
• Market share:
 Okra-13%
 Roots & Bulbs -9%
 Brassicas -8%,
 Pea & Bean (Both OP’s) and Sweet Corn (F1) hybrid - 24%
 leafy vegetables -2%
 Others – 5%

9.
Vegetable Seed and Planting material
Vegetable Seed Market –Global, India
and Karnataka
• Commercial vegetable Seed market
in the world is 6.8 billion US$
• Indian vegetable seed industry is
worth Rs. 4000 crores
• Indian vegetable seed market size is
33295 metric tons of which 1800
metric tons is hybrid seed
• Nearly 1500 tons of hybrid seed is
produced from Karnataka
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
2001-02 2011-12 2021-22 2024-25
Quintals
Years
Total vegetable seed
requirement in Karnataka
411
39
800
78
0
200
400
600
800
1000
India Karnataka
Numberincrores
2011-12
2024-25
Planting material production in
India and Karnataka

10.
Constraints/Gaps
Vegetable seed production:
• Non availability of skilled labour to do emasculation and pollination in hybrid
seed production
• Non availability CMS lines in some of vegetable crops
• Increasing cost of hybrid seed production
• Pest and disease pressure in traditional seed production areas due to continuous
cropping
• Lack of seed storage and seed processing facilities
• Low productivity of seed per unit area
Planting material production:
• Very few nurseries with progeny orchards scion / rootstock banks.
• Lack of ‘True-to-type’ disease free bud wood
• Non-availability of known rootstocks – Grapes, Citrus, Mango etc.
• Proper labeling and certification of planting material.
• Quality inputs like UV stabilized bags, good organic media, soil solarizers, etc.
• Ignorant about modern / scientific technologies

11.
Technologies available
Vegetable Seed Production:
• Improved agronomic techniques such as mulching, foliar
nutrition and drip irrigation
• Pollen storage technology
• Male sterility systems in chilli, okra to eliminate hand
emasculation
• Seed production technology under protected cultivation for year
round production
• Improved Seed storage technology for maintaining vigour and
viability
Planting material production:
• Time of grafting for mango, guava and custard apple and seed
production of papaya has been standardized

12.
Research interventions
Vegetable seed production:
• Seed quality improvement through priming and coating
• Cost effective techniques in hybrid seed production
Planting material Production:
• Standardization of tissue culture protocol wherever feasible
• Standardizing the medium for nursery management and
mechanization of nursery management

13.
Policy issues
Vegetable Seed Production:
• Need for upgrading quality control laboratories to meet international
standards.
• Seed production through seed village concept and accreditation of
seed farms and identification of new areas for seed production
• Developing trained manpower for quality seed production.
• Documentation of quantity of seed produced and distributed
• Good linkage between Public and Private organizations
• Establishment of Horticulture seed corporation/agencies
Planting material production:
• Accreditation of nurseries for quality planting material
• Establishment of large area mother plant block with drip irrigation
facilities

14.
SEED POLICIES.
• Enactment of the Seeds Act, 1966
• Seed control order 1983
• New seed policy 1988
• The Seeds Bill (2004)
• National Seed plan-2005-06.
• National Food Security Mission (2007)
• Export-Import policy 2002-07
• Seed Bank Scheme (2000)
• • Seed Review Team-SRT (1968)

15.
Seed marketing
• Is one of the most vital components of seed
technology. On it depends the size and scope of the
seed industry.
• Broadly, it includes such activities as production,
processing, storage, quality control and marketing
of seeds.

16.
Seed Marketing Comprises the
Following:
1. Demand forecasts
2. Marketing structure
3. Arrangements for storage of seeds
4. Sales promotional activities
5. Post- sales service; and
6. Economics of seed production and seed
pricing.

17.
Vegetable Crops Seed Field Crops Seed
ASEAN market top export destinations (Value) for India SAARC market top export destinations (Value) for India
Top Seed Export Destination in World (Value)
Source:SeedTimes,2016

18.
Details of Indian seed market
composition
FARM SAVED & UNLABELLED
Seed : 60-70%
Commercial / Labelled Seed : 30-40%
Private : 70-76 % Public : 24-30%
Organized with R&D 57% Organized without R&D : 43%

19.
Marketing Structure: (Establishment of
Effective Channel for Seed Distribution) :
• The key to success in seed marketing is the
establishment of effective channel of
distribution.
• The various channels through which seed can
be marketed vary greatly according to the
needs of the seed company.

20.
Present Status of Seed Distribution:
The types of seed distribution systems in India are:
a) Farmer to farmer distribution.
This is the traditional method, whereby farmers
obtain their requirements from neighbours either on
cash payment or on exchange basis. No formal
marketing organisation is required for this type of
distribution.

21.
B) Distribution by co-operatives.
This involves procurement of seeds by
cooperatives and its subsequent distribution. The
distribution of seeds through cooperatives has often been
encouraged by the government through subsidies and
guarantees.
C) Distribution by departments of Agriculture.
Seeds are purchased by the governments, out of
the government funds, and are distributed district
Agricultural Officers and Block Development officers.

22.
D) Distribution of seeds by non-government or
quasi-government agencies.
In this system, the seeds are distributed through a
network of seed distributors and seed dealers.

23.
SEED COMPANY=> DISTRIBUTOR=> DEALER => RETAILER => FARMER
SEED COMPANY=> DEALER => RETAILER => FARMER
SEED COMPANY=> RETAILER => FARMER
SEED COMPANY=> FARMER

24.
Marketing Organisation
There are a number of possible ways a marketing network
could be organised.
The simple and most efficient systems are to establish a
central marketing cell and regional offices in end-use
areas.
The retail sale could be organised either by appointing
distributors/ dealers such as private dealers,
cooperatives, agro-sales service centres, etc, or by
opening seed company/ corporation –owned sales
points, or both

25.
Central Marketing Cell:
1) Regional Offices
a) Sole distributors
b) Dealers (Private)
c) Dealers (Coops)
d) Dealers (Agro-Sales Services)
e) Company sale depots

26.
SWOT
• Interacting with different functionaries in the seed
market the critical gap has been analysed within this
section with the help of Strengths, Weakness,
Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) tools which are
extremely useful for market development.

27.
The twenty-first century belongs to
entrepreneurs across the globe.
• Never in the history has the entrepreneurship spirit
been more alive.
• Nation states, including the developing ones like
India, have come to accept the importance of job
creation as the basis for healthy economy and
appreciate the importance of entrepreneurship in
creating jobs and fuelling economic growth.
• Many countries throughout the world have achieved
their highest economic performances by fostering and
promoting entrepreneurial activities.

28.
Thank You