Bangalore, Feb 12 (IANS) India plans to build seed reserves to ensure national food and income security to millions of its farmers, reeling under the impact of a deficit monsoon and a harsh drought in 2009, a top official said Friday.
“We are working with the seed industry to produce surplus high-yielding, pest and disease-resistant seeds to build reserves that can be used in the event of crisis arising out of droughts or floods during the monsoon,” union Agriculture Secretary T. Nanda Kumar told reporters here.

Noting that despite monsoon failure and drought in many parts of the country, supply of food grains was not affected due to surplus stocks and seeds from the 2008-09 bumper crop, Kumar said the proposed seed reserve would be independent of the stock the National Seed Corporation of India or state seed corporations build-up every year.

“A depositary of seeds will be located across the country in different states and made available to farmers depending on their requirements. In states like Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh where wheat is produced more, we will stock wheat seeds and in southern states like Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, we will stock rice seeds,” Kumar said on the margins of the first Indian Seed Congress, organised by the National Seeds Association of India.

“Similarly, seed reserves for corn, pulses, edible oils and other food crops will be stored in states where they are produced more,” Kumar pointed out.

As such an ambitious project involves substantial cost involving procurement, storage and maintenance, Kumar said the central government would have to pick the bill and shared by the respective states.

“The game plan is to build sufficient seed reserves from next year to be made available to farmers faster in emergency after they are affected by drought or flood,” Kumar averred.

Admitting that Indian agriculture and millions of farmers were still monsoon-dependent due to inadequate water resources and incomplete irrigation projects in many states, Kumar hinted there was no guarantee that another climate variability may not occur in the short term.

“Maybe, five years down the line, we may have either deficit or excess rainfall resulting in either drought or flood. Both situations create problem to farmers and food productivity. In such distress situation, seed reserve will help farmers to access seeds for timely sowing of food and cash crops,” Kumar added.