04 Green revolution: Team effort

On receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 Dr Norman Borlaug graciously wrote:

I woke up in the morning with above lines buzzing my head and re-looked into my presentation one last time, which said  ‘it is not only a question of what profit-seeking seed firms from India might accomplish in pursuit of their own commercial interests but also of improving access to modern agricultural technologies to create broad benefits for cultivators and consumers at rural and national level. The capacity of Indian seed firms and their search for new markets are push factors while the need for high quality seed in African countries acts as a pull factor. Alongside these are the aspirations of the Government of India to play a bigger role in bilateral, South—South relations of diplomacy, trade and technical cooperation’.

My presentation mainly focused on success story of Indian green revolution through introduction of high yielding seed varieties and the pivotal role of public- private seed enterprises in development of the sector with support of national policies. The brief review of which is as under:

Development of the Indian Seed Industry
The important milestones in the development of seed industry in India are:
• Establishment of All India Coordinated Project on Sorghum Improvement – 1960;
• Establishment of National Seed Corporation – 1963;
• Establishment of Seed Companies – 1964;
• Establishment of All India Coordinated Pearl-millet Improvement Project – 1965;
• Establishment of State Seed Corporation (SSC), State Seed and Fertilizer Corporation (SSFC), State Agricultural University (SAU), All India Coordinated Crop Improvement Project (AICCIP), National Research Centres (NRC’S), National Seed Project (NSP), National Agricultural Research Project (NARP) – 1975-1995;
• New Policy on Seed Development – 1988;
• National Seed Policy – 2002;
• The Seeds Bill – 2004; and
• National Food Security Mission – 2007

Population was growing at much faster rate (2.24% 1961-63 to 1971-73) than food production (2.11% 1961-63 to 1971-73). This called for drastic action to increase yield. The action came in the form of the green revolution through:
• Continued expansion of farming areas
• Double cropping on existing farm land
• Using improved seed with improved production practices

To meet the enormous demand for seed supply for the ever-growing population, the World Bank supported the National Seed Project that was launched in three phases from 1975 to 1993. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), though established in 1929 by the British, was reorganized in 1965 and in 1973. The activities of ICAR got real momentum in different sectors of research for development. It has developed high yielding crop varieties, mainly in wheat, rice, maize and pearl millet.