JICA to support strengthening of seed production, supply and quality control system

JICA signed Record of Discussions with the government for the technical cooperation project 'Strengthening Seed Production, Supply and Quality Control System Project'.

The implementation period of the project is for 5 years (starting from March 2022 to March 2027) and the executing agency is Seed Quality Control Center (SQCC), Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MOALD), Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC), and Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives (MoLMAC) of province No 1, according to a press note issued by the JICA.

The project shall be implemented in Province 1, mainly Jhapa, Morang, Sunasari and Udayapur districts, it reads, adding that the purpose of the project is 'to strengthen Rice seed production, supply and quality control system' to improve productivity of rice by means of dissemination of quality improved seeds in Province No 1 and to strengthen the implementation of the rice seed production, supply and quality control system in Nepal. 

Rice is fundamental crop of Nepali agriculture. Everyone eats it, and farmers gain income out of it. In order to make crop tasty, nutritious, and productive, the most important factor remains the quality of rice seeds.

Even though rice farming contributes around 15 per cent to the gross domestic production (GDP) of Nepal, there is still possibility to increase its yield therefore usage of improved seed and increasing the replacement rate of seed are the key.

According to the statistic, seed replacement rate of rice in Nepal is around 20 per cent now, therefore, the government has the strategy to raise the percentage to 25 per cent. And it is estimated that the use of improved seeds with good quality will increase its yield by 15 per cent. However, there are several processes before farmers can use the improved seeds with good quality, it is necessary to improve of the quality of the system and capacity to produce the quality seed in Nepal. In this context, holistic support for improving seed production was requested to JICA.

The project is expected to contribute for sustainable social and economic development of Nepal during and after the implementation period of the project.

Nepal Krishi, Bayer BioScience to pilot hybrid paddy seeds project

Nepal Krishi Company and Bayer BioScience of India signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to begin a pilot project to use two hybrid paddy seeds this summer which have the potential to double productivity.
The use of hybrid seeds by farmers to grow paddy is insignificant compared to 90 per cent for vegetable cultivation, they claimed.
Morang-based Nepal Krishi Company, which is working with farmers’ groups for commercial production of cereal crops, will be using Arize 6444 Gold and Arize Idea hybrids as per the agreement.
Likewise, managing director of Buddha Air Birendra Bahadur Basnet, who is also a board member of Nepal Krishi Company, said that he is amazed by the productivity when Arize 6444 Gold was tested in the field last year. “We will see the result, the actual cost of production and productivity, of the hybrid varieties after four months,” he said, adding that the paddy planting season in Nepal normally begins in June. “It’s not only using hybrid seeds but also bringing advanced paddy cultivation technology to Nepal.”
Nepal Krishi Company will be piloting these hybrid varieties on 70 bighas of land by distributing 100 kg of seeds to farmers. There will be a demonstration plot of 20 bighas – known as centre for excellence –  where paddy will be cultivated with the latest technology and tools, the company said.
According to business unit head of Bayer BioScience Surendra Prajapati, these hybrid seeds are free from ‘bacterial leaf blight’ disease that causes yield losses in the range of 20 per cent to 60 per cent annually.
The disease can afflict rice plants in any of the growing stages and cause visible wilting of the seedlings and yellowing and drying of the leaves. Nearly 33 rice seedlings of these varieties should be transplanted in a one square metre area. “They are stress tolerant as well,” he said.
Prajapati said that Arize 6444 Gold is India’s highest selling hybrid rice seed and 20,000 tonnes of this variety are sowed across Asia. The ideal harvest time is between 135 and 140 days after planting. “In Uttar Pradesh, the maximum productivity of this variety was recorded at 13.7 tonnes per hectare,” he said, adding that a multi-location testing of these two varieties was conducted before being registered by the Nepal Agricultural Research Council.
According to Prajapati, the productivity of Arize 6444 Gold was recorded at 8-tonne per hectare in Kapilvastu. Arize Idea is a short slender grain or fine rice having ‘excellent’ cooking quality, the company said. The ideal harvest time is between 125 and 130 days after planting, and it yields 20 per cent to 25 per cent more grain that other varieties.
Likewise, senior scientist and Nepal representative of the International Rice Research Institute Krishna Dev Joshi said that Nepal would benefit greatly if hybrid paddy seeds are produced in Nepal. “There are only a few hybrid seeds of paddy registered in Nepal, as a result, farmers are bringing them through the porous border with India,” he said, adding that as productivity is double, more and more farmers are being attracted towards hybrid varieties. “The government should promote the production of hybrids in Nepal to increase production in order to feed the growing population.”
Hybrids have a higher yielding ability of 15 per cent to 25 per cent compared to open pollinated varieties, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development. “For this reason, there is an increasing trend of using hybrids among farmers.” The first hybrid variety officially released in Nepal was maize (Gaurav) in 2004. However, it was not successful due to the non-synchronisation nature of inbred lines.
A hybrid variety of tomato (Srijana) was registered in 2010. Recently, hybrid maize and paddy seeds are also increasingly becoming popular among farmers in the Tarai and lower hills. Many of them are imported, the ministry said.
The government’s National Seed Vision 2013-25 has envisaged developing and promoting 40 hybrids – 20 vegetable hybrid seeds, 12 maize hybrids and eight paddy hybrids – by 2025 to meet the growing domestic demand and also as an import substitution measure. The private sector too is expected to develop and promote 20 hybrids, 10 vegetable, five maize and five paddy hybrids.