Lok Sabha Question No. 382 (STARRED), answered on 2021-03-23
Subject: Scheme for Seed Banks
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Ajay Bhatt, Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 382

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 23 RD  MARCH, 2021

## SCHEME FOR SEED BANKS

†*382.      SHRI AJAY BHATT: SHRI SANJAY JADHAV:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government proposes to formulate any scheme to set up Government seed banks at the block/division level and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the details of seed banks functioning in various States including Maharashtra/Union Territories as on date, district-wise;
- (c) the details of seed banks set up during each of the last three years and the current year, State/UT-wise;
- (d) whether the Government proposes to set up more seed banks for preservation and promotion of local/indigenous variety of plants and if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise;
- (e) the  amount  of  funds  allocated/utilised  in  this  regard  along  with  the  number  of farmers benefited from the said seed banks during the above period; and
- (f) the  measures  being  taken  by  the  Government  for  providing  advanced  variety  of seeds to farmers easily through the seed banks?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी

( SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

- (a) to (f) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (f)  OF  LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.  382   DUE FOR REPLY ON 23 rd   MARCH, 2021.

(a) to (d): There  are  22  seed  banks  functioning  in  the  country  including  one  at  the national  level  with  National  Seeds  Corporation  Limited  and  21  in  different  States/Union Territories  namely  Andhra  Pradesh,  Assam,  Bihar,  Chhattisgarh,  Gujarat,  Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,  Odisha,  Punjab,  Rajasthan,  Tamil  Nadu,  Telangana,  Uttarakhand,  Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. These seed banks supply seeds of short and medium duration crop varieties  to  the  farmers  during  contingency  situations  like  flood,  drought  etc.  under which one percent of the total availability of seeds of preceding year in the country is kept every  year.  The  implementing  agencies  are  maintaining  the  seeds  on  a  regional  basis keeping in the view of ease movement of seeds to the affected areas.

At present, there is no proposal with the Government to set up more seed banks for preservation and promotion of local/indigenous variety of plants. However, the Government has a policy to encourage conservation of the seeds of local/indigenous varieties of various crops. The National Gene Bank of National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources and its ten regional stations has conserved 3,24,031 local/indigenous varieties and the National Gene Bank of  Protection  of  Plant  Varieties  and  Farmer's  Rights  Authority  has  also  conserved 1806 registered traditional/local/indigenous varieties of different crops.

## (e): The details of fund utilized by the seed banks in the country during last three years including current year is as under:

| Year    |   Amount released/utilized (Rs. in crore) |
|---------|-------------------------------------------|
| 2017-18 |                                     26.78 |
| 2018-19 |                                     11.5  |
| 2019-20 |                                      9.3  |
| 2020-21 |                                     17.21 |

-2-

(f): The States are primarily responsible to ensure production, availability and distribution of quality seeds to the farmers. Government of India supplements the efforts of the  State  Governments  by  coordinating  seed  requirement  and  availability  through  the Zonal  Seeds  Review  Meetings  and  National  Conference  on  agriculture  prior  to  each sowing  season.  Government  of  India  also  provides  financial  assistance/subsidy  for production and  distribution of certified seeds  to  the  farmers  through  various  crop development  programmes/schemes  viz.  National  Food  Security  Mission,  National  Food Security  Mission-Oilseeds  and  Oil  Palm,  Sub-  Mission  on  Seeds  and  Planting  Materials and Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.

## *********