Union Minister, Amit Shah, chaired a review meeting of Bhartiya Beej Sahkari Samiti Limited (BBSSL) in New Delhi, emphasizing its crucial role in advancing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of "Sehkar Se Samriddhi" and empowering farmers. Shah underlined the importance of preserving India’s traditional seeds and urged BBSSL to focus on developing varieties that require less water and pesticides.
Stressing the need to uplift small farmers, he highlighted the necessity of improving crop yields and extending crop maturity periods. Shah set an ambitious target for BBSSL to connect with an additional 20,000 cooperatives by 2025-26, further strengthening the cooperative movement.
The minister highlighted BBSSL’s strides in collecting and preserving nutritious indigenous seeds, urging organizations like IFFCO and KRIBHCO to evaluate their nutritional value. He emphasized promoting pulses and oilseeds while maintaining their nutritional quality and called for certified seed farming practices among farmers. Shah also outlined the necessity of leveraging government universities' scientists and laboratories for seed research, aiming to create world-class infrastructure for the cooperative sector.
Amit Shah highlighted the impressive reach of BBSSL, with over 20,000 cooperative societies from 34 states and union territories as stakeholders. He proposed the creation of a 10-year roadmap with regular reviews to boost seed production, emphasizing the use of cutting-edge technology and collaborative research to achieve long-term goals.
BBSSL's ongoing efforts during Rabi 2024 span 5,596 hectares across six states, with an estimated production of 1,64,804 quintals of seeds from 49 varieties of eight crops. Since its inception, BBSSL has sold 41,773 quintals of seeds, valued at Rs 41.50 crore, and aims to achieve a turnover of Rs 18,000 crore by 2032-33.
The meeting, attended by Union Ministers of State for Cooperation Krishna Pal and Murlidhar Mohol, alongside senior officials and BBSSL leadership, centered on strategies to enhance seed production, preservation, and cooperative engagement.
