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New Delhi : The development of high yielding and disease-resistant seeds of cereals, oilseeds, and vegetables etc. in the National Agricultural Research System under the aegis of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is a continuous process. The seeds of such varieties are made available to farmers after completing the due process of breeder seed production and their conversion into foundation seed, certified seed/truthfully labelled seed in subsequent generations.
Generally, less than 15 years old varieties in oilseeds and pulses and 10 years old varieties in other crops are promoted through the various schemes of Government of India. However, only certified/quality seeds are provided to the farmers by various state and central government and their agencies including KVKs.
There is a proper system and mechanism for production and distribution of quality seeds to the farmers. ICAR Institutes, State and Central Agricultural Universities, and KVKs directly make available the seeds from their sale counters on the Institute premises. National Seed Corporation Ltd. (NSCL) provides quality seeds to the farmers through its Regional Offices, Area Offices, Marketing Centres, and dealers network spread across India. Apart from this, State Governments through their Agricultural Department and other agencies, also provide quality seeds to the farmers.
NSCL outlets maintain the stock of quality seeds as per the seasonal demand of State Governments, dealers and farmers. This information was given by Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar in a written reply in Rajya Sabha on December 10, 2021, according to a PIB release.