Indian Seed Sector: Evolution, Technology, Trade and Impact

This book provides an insight into the growth of the Indian seed industry in the past 60 years. It analyzes the socio-economic parameters, complexities, diversities, and need for a strong seed system with appropriate regulatory frameworks in the Indian agrarian economy. The role of rich biological resources and development of a scientific plant breeding system, which laid the strong foundation of the seed sector is discussed. While outlining the growth of a multi-crop and multi-dimensional seed industry, this book examines the role of breeders and seed industry, and rights of farmers, changing regulatory framework governing the seed sector, and impact of inter-governmental conventions, agreements and treaties in regulating the seed sector. Role played by the public and private partners in the establishment of seed sector with science-led technologies and capacity building, and expansion of the domestic seed  industry is emphasized. The impact of seed system development with limitations and future prospects is also discussed with a view of a global seed scenario.

This book has a wide base of readership including seed industry professionals, policy makers, academicians, researchers and students.

Dr. Malavika Dadlani, the former Joint Director (Research), ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, is a renowned seed scientist with a dedicated career of over four decades. She pursued her education at IARI, IIT, Kharagpur and Calcutta University. She pursued her post-doctoral research at IRRI, Philippines and served as a research attachment with SAC, Edinburgh. Besides contributing to basic research and teaching, she worked actively since late 80s with the farmers in many parts of India and is still engaged with farm women and men through her participation with rural NGOs. A Fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), she served as its Editor for 3 years and has more than 200 scientific publications, including research papers, technical reports, and books to her credit. She has delivered more than 100 invited lectures at national and international conferences and seminars. She was the President of Indian Society of Seed Technology from 2018 to 2023.

Dr. Partha R Das Gupta, educated at Banaras Hindu University and University of Saskatchewan, is agronomist by training with specialization in seed science. After spending ten years as university lecturer at Kalyani, he joined ‘Suttons’ – a heritage seed company, at its Indian headquarters in Kolkata, as its technical manager, and left it after seventeen years, as its Senior Vice President . In 1994, he joined Sandoz India to start and lead its Seeds R&D, and later managed biotech regulatory affairs for the Asia-Pacific. He also provided consultations to some new country organizations in framing their biosafety guidelines for biotech crops. His papers on this and subjects relating to seeds R&D were published in books and proceedings of a number of national and international seminars. Since 2004, he got associated with Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture, became first Director of the Foundation in India, and is presently its honorary advisor emeritus.

Dr. Narendra K. Dadlani is an agriculture scientist with more than four decades of professional experience in horticulture research and seed sector, nationally and internationally (UN). Dr. Dadlani worked at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, during 1977 to 1999, with a stint in the Union Ministry of Agriculture (1994-1997) as the Director of Horticulture, Govt. of India. Dr. Dadlani was associated as a scientist or an industry expert with several government organizations and programs, including Planning Commission, Agricultural & Processed Foods Export Development Authority (APEDA), National Horticulture Board (NHB), National Horticulture Mission (NHM) of the Ministry of Agriculture, several state governments, besides several corporates as a consultant. Dr. Dadlani was appointed the first Director Technical Affairs at the Asia & Pacific Seed Association (APSA), the largest regional seed association in the world (2014-17). Prior to this, he served as the Director, National Seed Association of India (NSAI) (from 2010 to 2014), the apex seed industry association of the world’s fifth largest seed economy.