Imphal, October 26 2008: SEED OF the locally developed rice, "Tampha" produced from the model seed villages is likely notify in the Manipur gazette as "certify rice seed".

State seed committee headed by the director of department of agriculture had recommended the Central Seed Committee under the Union ministry of agriculture to recognize the same so that the state could notify the same at the earliest, said deputy director, Ph Rajendro, agriculture department today.

He was talking to some reporters on the sideline of a programme on soil testing and post harvest management technology at Kakching Khunou organized by his department.

Many high yielding varieties of rice had and have been producing in the state by the state agricultural scientists but due to the nonexistence of agency (may be as state government agency or autonomous bodies), the same could not be export outside the state.

Mention may be made that even though the certification of seed is to be done by an agency which would be set up by the state government under the Seed Act of the country as notified under Section 8 of the Act.

At present, 21 states of the country have Seed Certification Agencies.

With the regard to the advantage to be got by the state after notification of the seed of the said rice variety, Rajendro said, "Once the seed is notified, then it can be sell to outside the state as certified seed".

Funds for improving this variety of rice as well as other can also be availed from the Centre once the state government notified it under the seed Act of the country, he added.

Many agriculture related Central sponsored schemes for supplying certified seeds to the farers could not be taken up in the state as the state has no such agency.

Deputy commissioner seed (quality control) in the ministry of agriculture C Sanmugam in his recent visit in September t his year had also expressed concerned for the non-establishment of the a seed certification agency in the state while informing that many schemes for supply of quality control certified seed to the farmers have been taking up by the ministry under the national Seeds Act enforced in the country.

He had also said that the percentage supply of the certified seeds to the farmers of the north eastern region including Manipur in very low with around 10 percent.

He also while expressing his willingness to set up states' owned seed certification agency, said that it can sharply reduce the problems facing by the farmer in procuring certified seeds from the National Seed Corporation Limited through the state government.

The delay in the procurement of the seed from outside the state which the state is facing could also be remarkably reduced by setting up the agency, he had observed.

When he inspected various model seed villages set up by the state agriculture department in collaboration with groups of farmers under the Integrated Pest Management, IPM method of farming, he also asked the officials of the department to expand the activities of the IPM by setting up more model seed villages stating that it will help in getting the farmers of the state good quality of local variety seed.

The state agriculture department has already established various model seed villages across the valley districts of the state since its successful demonstration in producing high quality seeds with remarkable enhancement of the yield per hectare.

With "Tampha" rice mention may be made that IPM team had reap a bumper harvest last year and Central Agricultural University, Iroishemba after certified the seed at its won level buy all the products with higher price and distributed to the farmers of the state in this current season.

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