BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha State Seeds Corporation on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Seeds Corporation (NSC) and International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) to ensure adequate supply of quality seeds of pulses and oilseeds.
As per the MoU, NSC and ICRISAT would produce the required seeds for the State while OSSC would supply the seeds to farmers through Krishi Vikash Kendra, Agriculture Minister Pradeep Maharathy told reporters.
The Minister said quality seeds will result in higher production of pulses and oilseeds.
Stating that the seed replacement ratio in respect of pulses and oilseeds in the State was less than four per cent last year, Maharathy said seed production is much less than the actual demand.
The State Government has decided to produce select non-paddy seeds to bridge the gap. With the signing of this tripartite agreement, it is expected to meet 80 per cent of the total seeds requirement from within the State, he added.
While NSC will supply quality seeds to farmers through the State Seeds Corporation for next three years, ICRISAT will provide technical support to farmers, official sources said.