Karnataka State Seed Corporation & ICRISAT Sign MoU to Introduce Drought-Resistant Crop Varieties

Karnataka State Seed Corporation (KSSCL) and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) have signed an MoU to introduce drought-resistant crop varieties in Karnataka over the next three years.

The new crop varieties will be validated by the Varietal Research and Development Center (VRDC), KSSC, Dharwad, and will be released in collaboration with state agricultural universities.

With an annual supply of 3.5 lakh quintals of seeds, KSSCL will expand its offerings by introducing improved strains of sorghum, groundnut, pigeon pea, chickpea, bajra, and minor millets, all aimed at benefiting the state's farmers.

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Agriculture Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy has also announced that the state government is planning to introduce a new policy that will allow private industrialists to import superior-quality seeds from foreign shores. This policy is similar to the one in Andhra Pradesh and is aimed at boosting Karnataka's agriculture sector.

Additionally, the state government is considering establishing Regional Plant Quarantine centers on par with Chennai, Mumbai, and Delhi. This will simplify the regulations governing seed imports from overseas and further catalyze growth within the agriculture sector.

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Additionally, the Minister met with a delegation from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) to discuss the "Namma Rajya Namma Krishi Sammelana" event, aimed at promoting agro-based industries in the state.

The Agriculture Department has also procured 150 state-of-the-art sugarcane harvesting machines under the farm mechanization scheme. The state government is exploring ways to subsidize the registration costs of these machines to empower farmers and ensure a thriving sugarcane industry.

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