can raise farm
production by 75%’
PNS
Ranchi
The use of quality seeds along with modern scientific crop management practices can increase agricultural production by up to 75 per cent, Dr. Poonam Jasrotia, Assistant Director General (Plant Protection and Biosafety) at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), said on Wednesday.
Addressing the 23rd Seed Council Meeting at Birsa Agricultural University (BAU), Dr. Jasrotia said India produced a record 376 million tonnes of food grains during 2025–26, with quality seeds playing a key role in achieving the milestone. She noted that since 1969, the country has released 3,276 crop varieties, including 187 biofortified and 587 climate-resilient varieties.
She informed that the proposed New Seed Bill, currently under discussion in Parliament, would introduce comprehensive provisions on seed production, storage, transportation, marketing, distribution and quality control. ICAR is also working to reduce the time required to develop new seed varieties and speed up seed multiplication.
BAU Vice Chancellor Dr. S.C. Dubey stressed the need to ensure the timely availability of quality seeds of preferred varieties to farmers. He said scientists must strengthen farmers’ confidence in seed quality and performance while giving due attention to seed health and varietal characteristics. He also called for the implementation of a state seed policy.
Welcoming the participants, BAU Director (Seeds and Farms) Dr. Shambhunath Karmakar described seeds as the “soul of agriculture.” He said the university produced 5,700 quintals of breeder, foundation, certified and truthfully labelled seeds during 2025–26 and has set a target of 5,265 quintals for 2026–27.
