ROLE OF PUBLIC & PRIVATE SEED SECTOR IN INDIA

  Role of Public & Private Seed Industry

             The private sector has started to play a significant role in the seed industry over the last few years.  At present, the number of companies engaged in seed production or seed trade is of the order of 400 or 500.  However, the main focus of private seed companies has been on the high value low volume seeds and market for low value high volume seeds seeds of cereals, pulses and oilseeds is still dominated by the public sector seed corporations.  Private sector companies have a significant place mainly in the case of maize and sunflower and cotton.  However, in the case of vegetable seeds and planting materials of horticultural crops, the private sector is the dominant player.  As the private sector has not been enthusiastic about entering into seed production of high volume low margin crops of wheat, paddy, other cereals, oilseeds and pulses, the public sector seed corporations will continue to remain dominant in cereals, pulses and oilseeds for many more years to come.  At present    15 State Seeds Corporation and    2 National level seeds Corporations 

 (National Seeds Corporation of India & State Farms Corporation of India) are functioning in the country. Besides, significant quantities of seeds are also produced by the State Departments of Agriculture, where the State Seeds corporations are not in existence. The contribution of private sector seed companies in total seed production of the country is depicted in the following table: 

Year of Production	Total Seed Production  (Lakh qtls.)	Share of private sector
2003-04	132.27	47.48%
2004-05	140.51	45.02%
2005-06	148.18	46.80%
2006-07	194.31	41.00%

 ( Source : compiled by Seeds Division of DAC)