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Kathmandu Friday February 23, 2001 Falgun 12, 2057.
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AIC to stockpile seed grains
Post Report
KATHMANDU, Feb 22 - Agriculture Inputs Corporation (AIC), a state-owned
enterprise, has begun storing additional seeds, with an objective of avoiding possible
shortage of seeds during plantation season.
In the first phase of the program, the Corporation has stockpiled 300 tonnes
wheat seeds.
Talking to The Kathmandu Post, Nanu Jha, Chief of Seed Division at the AIC,
said, "We have initiated this programme so that farmers would not suffer from
shortage of seeds, when demand is higher than supply".
The Corporation has earmarked 10 million rupees for this purpose and if the
amount suffice, AIC would store the seeds of paddy and maize, the staple crops of the
country, in the second phase of their program.
Of the 300 tonnes of wheat seeds, 100 tonnes is stored in Daman and 200
tonnes in Palpa as the places are more appropriate for storing seeds due to their high
altitude, which lessens the cost of storage.
The stored seeds of wheat are of improved varieties, of which 200 tonnes is
Bhrikuti, 90 tonnes NL-197 and 10 tonnes RR-21. The stored seeds are replaced every two
years to ensure better germination and quality of seeds, according to Jha.
Paddy, maize and wheat are the staple crops of the country and farmers often
suffer from the shortage of wheat seeds. Since wheat seeds lose their quality in a shorter
period, farmers cannot store it for long, which results in dearth of seeds.
Most of the farmers depend on the market for wheat seeds and around 95 per
cent of such seeds is of improved varieties. Eighty per cent of the seeds transactions of
the Corporation, which sells around 3,000 tonnes of wheat seeds annually, is wheat.
However, farmers exchange paddy seeds among them and the Corporation and
other seed dealers have a very negligible role in the transaction of the seeds. So is the
case with maize. But they are also using hybrid seeds of maize as well.
This programme is expected to stabilize the supply of seeds, which is the
foundation of food security. When there is short supply resultant of low seed collection
from pocket sectors, it will meet the demand of the seeds.
The Corporation can supply the stored seeds only with the permission from the
National Seed Board.
Though the price of such seeds would not be much different from the regular
supplies, its price would be determined by the Board during the time of sale.
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