Unit location:  Patharkati village falling under Bakra Panchayat of Sankrail Block.

Area of Quality Paddy seed production – Sankrail ,Jhargram ,Gopiballavpur -2 block in Jhargram District,Midnapur Sadar,Kharagpur Sadar,Pingla, Sabang,Debra Block In Paschm Medinipur  Distrtict and Sarenga ,Mukutmanipur,Chhatna  in Bankura district.

The seed village programme is an intiative designed to promote the production and distribution of quality seeds at the village level. It encourages farmers to produce certified and high yielding seeds of different crops,  mainly Paddy , sesame  and Mustard . ensuring seed self sufficiency and better productivity in the farming community .

Objectives 

• To make farmers self reliant in quality seed production .
• To ensure timely availability of certified seed within the village .
• To increase the replacemennt rate
• To promote community participation and improve the overall quality of crops .

Implementation

• The programme was implemented in collaboration with local farmers, Block, District and State agriculture officers,Seed certification officers and RDA. Selected progressive farmers were provided with breeder/ foundation seeds and technical guidance. Regular field visits and training sessions were conducted to ensure proper seed production practices .

 

             Activities

• Distribution of Breeder seeds among selected farmers .
• Training on seed production, Processing, and storage .
• Field inspection and supervision by agricultural experts and seed certification officers .

Market – After distributing seeds to the farmers, the extra seeds are sold in the nearest market. Markets have been developed in Paschim Medinipur, Purba Medinipur ,Purulia District , nearest market of Jharkhand and Odisa state. Approximately 165 tons of seeds were sold in this year.

• We are involved with State seed Corporation, Barasat,Chinsura Rice Research Centre, Hooghly and  Seed Association of Bengal for Breeder Seed colletion.  Breeder seeds are  mother Paddy seeds for seed certification programme.

Seed Godown and Seed Grader

RDA has been implementing the seed village programme for the last 10 years. RDA purchases the produced raw seeds from the farmers at a higher price, processes it, and sends them to the market. Last year a total of 165 tons of paddy, 10 ton of sesame, and 5 quintal of mustard were sold . Through this programme, both the farmer who are cultivating and those who are purchasing the seeds are benefiting. Approximately 5000 farmers are benefitted regularly.

Impact –

The programme has improved farmers income, enhance seed availability , and encourage collective participation . Both seed producers and buyers benefited, ensuring sustainable agricultural growth at the village level .

The seed village programme has  been proven to be an effective model for strengthening the seed system at the grassroots level. Continuous support, training ,and monitoring will further help in achieving long term self- reliance in quality seed production .