A delegation of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) on Monday held a meeting with the officials of Agriculture Department and Telangana State Seed and Organic Certification Authority (TSSOCA) on export of Telangana seed to African countries.
The BMGF delegation led by its senior programme officer Larren Good held discussion on the practices of paddy seed production in Telangana and agreed to import seed from Telangana for African countries. Director of TSSOCA K. Keshavulu gave a presentation on the practices of paddy seed production in Telangana.
Principal Secretary (Agriculture) C. Parthasarathi gave powerpoint presentation on seed production in Telangana including 90% of hybrid seed produced in the country.
He stated that conducive weather conditions in the State were helping Telangana produce 60% of all seed required for the country. He also explained about the agriculture production and seed industry in Telangana. He stated that more than 60% of the paddy, maize, bengal gram, groundnut and soyabean seed required for the country was being produced in Telangana. The State was also centre for 400 seed companies, processing plants, cold storages besides several national and international research institutions on agriculture.
Further, Mr. Parthasarathi stated that even the seed produced in other States would come to Telangana for processing and packing as it had the most suitable weather conditions. On paddy seed production, he explained that Warangal and Karimnagar districts were hubs with production taking place in several model seed villages.
He apprised the delegation that Telangana had exported paddy, pearl millet, sorghum and sunflower seed to Sudan, Philippines, Russia, Tanzania and a few other countries last year under the OECD seed programme. Telangana was also ready to export quality seed to many other African countries, he noted.
Ms. Larren Good said seed produced in Telangana was found to be most suitable for African countries since seed production was on very low scale there. The BMGF would also take the paddy seed practices of Telangana to African countries to encourage quality seed production there.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Keshavulu said there about 1.35 lakh seed producing farmers in Telangana with a production capacity of 65 lakh quintals seed every year.