Chandigarh (Face2News Bureau) 

Interactive Briefing Session on ‘Seed Industry – Key Growth Driver for Agriculture Sector in India’, By Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company (Mahyco)

The interactive session titled ‘Seed Industry - Key Growth Driver for Agriculture Sector in India’ was organized by Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company Limited (Mahyco) at Hotel Park Plaza in Chandigarh.  Dr. Gurinder Randhawa, Principal Scientist, National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR); Dr. Bharat Char, Lead-Biotechnology, Mahyco and Mr. Ritesh Mishra, Lead-Regulatory Affairs, Mahyco were key speakers for this session and It focused on the current challenges faced by the agriculture sector, need for technology intervention to increase food production, role of the seed industry in driving agricultural growth and Mahyco’s contribution to the Indian agriculture sector. Dr. Gurinder Randhawa from NBPGR shared her views on the key challenges faced by the agriculture sector and the potential offered by GM technology in resolving some of these critical challenges. Sharing her views, Dr. Randhawa said that, “Adoption of genetically modified crops have increased yield, ensured better quality of produce and reduced the use of chemicals and this in turn has proven to be economically productive for farmers. Punjab is one such state where the farmers have progressed from the adoption of GM technology and achieved remarkable growth”.Dr. Bharat Char and Mr. Ritesh Mishra represented Mahyco and shared the role of the seed industry in driving agricultural growth of the country. Dr. Bharat Char said that, “Productivity of any crop depends on various inputs and seed is one of the crucial elements and hence it is extremely important that we have quality seeds that can withstand specific challenges and give the desired output.”  Highlighting Mahyco’s commitment toward the growth of the Indian seed industry as well as the agriculture sector, Mr. Ritesh Mishra said that, “Mahyco is currently celebrating its Golden Jubilee year and since its inception 50 years ago has made significant contributions towards developing high quality seeds. We are committed to providing Indian farmers with cutting-edge technology and take pride in playing an important role in the growth of the agriculture sector.” The speakers noted that the seed sector with its strong private player base has been growing at a steady rate and favourable policy environment for research and development will go a long way in taking the Indian agriculture to the next level and achieve the second green revolution. The session concluded with highly engaging Q&A discussion with the media on agriculture, seed industry and GM technology issues and challenges and growth areas both in India and Punjab.