FSII Chairman Ajai Rana said the sector is well prepared following a bumper seed production season for corn, rice and millets. However, a recent survey of 1,000 farmers showed that while 75 per cent had already purchased seeds, the remaining 25 per cent were waiting for the monsoon, underscoring the urgency of moving stocks from surplus areas to vulnerable districts before the sowing window closes.
“We typically plan with a 15-20 per cent buffer for returns. This year’s strong seed production has further strengthened our position… Many companies are holding 20-30 per cent surplus stock,” Rana told PTI in an interview.
In case farmers need to replant due to a weak or delayed monsoon, the surplus stock available with both the government and private companies should be adequate, he said.
“But the key challenge is not total availability but timely distribution to the right geographies,” Rana said, adding that short-duration and climate-resilient hybrids would be crucial in distressed districts.
The government has estimated certified seed availability at 192.43 lakh quintals against a requirement of about 173 lakh quintals, translating into an 11.2 per cent surplus for the current kharif season. The private sector, which supplies nearly 70 per cent of the country’s seeds through a network of more than 10 lakh retailers, has created additional buffer stocks over and above this.
The Centre has identified 315 districts across 12 states that are likely to be affected by the delayed monsoon this kharif season.EL NINO IMPACT
Rana said nearly half of India’s agriculture remains rain-fed, making the kharif season particularly vulnerable to the El Nino weather pattern. “El Nino is not good news for our agriculture, especially the kharif season, which is the major season. It will particularly impact geographies where irrigation coverage is low,” he said.
Planting has already been delayed in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, parts of Jharkhand and Bihar. In contrast, irrigated regions such as Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, where irrigation coverage exceeds 90 per cent, are largely insulated from the impact.
If weak monsoon conditions persist through July and August, farmers should shift to short-duration, high-yielding varieties suited to a shorter growing season while modifying agronomic practices, such as applying fertilisers earlier in rice cultivation, Rana said.