Telangana State Seed and Organic Certification Authority (TSSOCA) has been adjudged the model seed certification authority in the country by National Seed Association of India.
The award along with a certificate of appreciation was received by Agriculture Production Commissioner of Telangana and Principal Secretary C. Parthasarathi at the hand of Union Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal during during the valedictory session of Indian Seed Congress-2019 held here on Tuesday.
The award was given in recognition of TSSOCA’s contribution in supporting and strengthening of seed industry through national and international seed certification systems and also for creating awareness about seed certification among the seed industry, farmers and policy makers.
Director of TSSOCA K. Keshavulu said the Authority was established in July 2014 with a mandate to serve the purpose of seed certification in Telangana since the State is known as seed bowl of India, bestowed with congenial agro-climate conditions, skilled human resources, infrastructure and better logistics for quality seed production and storage.
He stated that Telangana was catering to more than 60% of the country’s seed requirement besides its own requirement.Within short span of time the Authority had reached a stage of certifying over 20 lakh quintals of seed with several effective changes such as strengthening of infrastructure, recruitment of technical staff and introduction of complete online seed certification system to ensure transparency and accountability to encourage genuine quality seed production.