Press Note for 12th edition of the Indian Seed Congress 2024 held at The Westin, Koregaon Park, Pune 29th February and 1st March 2024

The National Seed Association of India had organised its 12th edition of Indian Seed Congress (ISC) on the theme “Seeds for Sustainable Agriculture” at The Westin, Koregaon Park Pune on 29th February and 1st March 2024.
The ISC 2024 was inaugurated on February 29, 2024, with presence of Dr. C D Mayee, former chairman of the Agricultural Scientist Recruitment Board as Chief Guest and Dr. A K Singh, Vice Chancellor of CSA University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh as Guest of Honour. On this occasion stalwarts of the seed industry, eminent scientist, government officials, seed businessmen, students were also present.
This two days, mega event ISC 2024 started with the blessings of Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis ji who congratulated NSAI for organising ISC 2024 and stressed that Seed industry focus should be to provide better quality seed to the farmers to improve their socio-economic conditions. He also mentioned that his government is giving utmost attention for the welfare of the farmers by providing adequate support to the agriculture and seed sector. On this occasion, Dr M Prabhakar Rao ji set the tune by giving an insightful vision for Indian Seed Industry and its preparedness for Amritkal. The Technical programme having six different sessions highlighted the key research priorities and advancements in the seed sector. The emphasis was also given to the importance of utilizing diverse gene bank accessions to enhance research and development (R&D) for addressing critical challenges such as biotic and abiotic stresses, pest resistance, and nutritional enhancement through biofortification.
The congress also addressed challenges in seed movement to neighbouring countries and the importance of initiatives like the Dhaka Agreement for Joint varietal evaluation and release, leading to the concept of Seeds without Borders. Innovations in crops through nano-technologies and speed breeding were highlighted as means to enhance productivity. Moreover, discussions were also held on new breeding methods, intercropping, and policy interventions to incentivize farmers and industry support.
Further, the congress emphasized supporting Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the seed sector, technologies like microbial seed treatment, and the role of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) in the industry’s growth. The sixth session was a panel discussion on “Public Private Research Collaboration for varietal evaluation, testing and Germplasm sharing” which was chaired by Dr Trilochan Mohapatra, Chairperson, PPV&FRA and moderated by Dr M Prabhakar Rao, President NSAI. The panellist mainly emphasised that for India becoming 7 billion USD seed economy various growth indicators like reforms in seed sector, better cooperation between public and private sector, targeted investment in R&D formulation of export-oriented schemes on seeds etc will have to be focused upon.
The congress concluded with insights into policy and regulatory reforms for the seed sector, including harmonization of seed regulatory regimes and the facilitation of Indian trade and market development. The sessions underscored the importance of collaborative efforts, innovative technologies, and policy interventions to achieve sustainable agriculture and seed industry growth.
Exhibition stalls showcased the latest technology and products by the seed and allied companies. The Trading tables provided the platform for business negotiations and promotion of seed trade.
The event was concluded on 1st Mrach 2024 by giving new energy to the Indian seed industry and also enabled new dimension for the growth of Seed sector in the Amritkal.
Source: Deepanker.pandey@nsai.co.in