The
issue of agricultural development is globally important and especially
crucial to satisfying the needs of the ever-growing population in
a developing country like India. Agriculture has been the mainstay
of Indian civilisation for over five millennia. Even today, it is
the fulcrum of the Indian economy, accounting for about 30 per cent
of the GDP and involving about 68 per cent of over 1000-million
population. In India, an increasing population with an improved
standard of living and continuously declining arable land continue
to increase the pressure on natural resources.
In
spite of the significant gains from the green revolution,
the average productivity of Indian agriculture is significantly
lower than that of the developed, as well as developing nations.
For instance, while India ranks first in the production of pulses,
it is ranked a lowly twenty second in terms of yield per hectare.
Similarly, in rice production, India stands second, but in yield
per hectare it comes fifteenth. Only with wheat does the country
fare a little better, coming second on the production front and
fifth in yield.
There
is an urgent need for the agriculture sector to grow at 5 per cent
per annum to achieve sustained economic growth of 8-9 per cent in
India. In order to increase agricultural productivity, widespread
use of genetically improved seeds and planting material is essential.
Seeds are a major input and the initial lever for bolstering agricultural
production. Therefore, the seed industry is perceived as a cost-effective
instrument of positive change in Indian agriculture.
The
development of the seed industry in India from the 1950s
through
the 1970s was dominated by the public sector, with a supporting
role played by the private sector. The growth of the Indian seed
industry in the private sector started in the early 1970s. The Government
of India recognising the need for continuous upgradation of seed/planting
material to maximise agricultural productivity and the worldwide
trend of genetic research moving to the private sector, introduced
a new policy on seed development (NPSD) in October 1988. The NPSD
has enabled medium and large seed enterprises and companies with
foreign/technical collaboration to start playing an increasing role
in the development and marketing of high quality seed varieties
thereby boosting agricultural production.
