The National Conference on ‘Seed Chain Management in the Eastern and North Eastern Hill Regions: Challenges and Opportunities’ was held at Central Horticultural Experiment Station, ICAR-IIHR, Bhubaneswar, Odisha on 21st and 22nd January, 2025 in collaboration with the Society for Promotion of Horticulture (SPH) and ICAR-National Institute of Seed Science and Technology, Mau, Uttar Pradesh. The National Conference was inaugurated on 21st January, 2025 by Sri Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Odisha, and Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, Energy in the august presence of Dr. Shobhana Kumar Pattanayak, Former Secretary, Department of Agric. Coop. & Farmers’ Welfare, Govt. of India, currently Chief of Staff to Governor of West Bengal, Raj Bhavan, Kolkata, Prof. Pravat Kumar Roul, Vice-Chancellor, OUAT, Bhubaneswar, Dr. P. L. Patil, Vice Chancellor, UAS, Dharwad, Dr. Sanjay Kumar Singh, DDG (Horticulture), ICAR, Dr. Sudhakar Pandey, ADG (Flowers, Vegetables, Spices & Medicinal Plants), ICAR, Dr. D. K. Yadava, ADG (Seeds) and Prof. Tusar Kanti Behera, Director, ICAR-IIHR, Bengaluru.
Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister also inaugurated the Training Centre and Farmers’ Hostel at the venue. This facility has been built under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) at a total cost of ₹5.70 Cr. During Inaugural session, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister stressed upon the importance of the nature friendly techniques of crop production. Dr. Himanshu Pathak, Hon’ble Secretary, DARE, Govt. of India, and Director General, ICAR, New Delhi, addressed the gathering online. All the dignitaries shared their strategies and vision for seed chain management in India. During the occasion, successful farmers Mrs. Shobhabati Bhatra of Kosagumuda block, Nabarangpur, Mr. Mukesh Dhal of Kendrapada, Mr. Surendra Kumar Sahu of Balipatna of Khordha district, and Mr. Pradipta Kumar Purohit of Patnagarh in Bolangir district were felicitated by the Hon'ble Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment and Power, for their excellence in seed and planting material production in Odisha.
The two-day event brought together the researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders from across the nation and addressed the critical challenges and opportunities in the seed sector in the eastern and NEH regions. Key deliberations during the conference highlighted the issues pertaining to low seed quality, fragmented supply chains, and inadequate infrastructure, especially in the North Eastern region. The discussion further emphasized on leveraging biodiversity, integrating genetic diversity and adopting advanced technologies like molecular markers, Block-chain and Nano technology to enhance seed quality and agricultural productivity. A special focus was given on the horticultural crops, temperate vegetables, millet, and medicinal plants, to empower farmers through better policies, public-private partnerships, and institutional linkages.A total of 160 registered delegates, 12 Directors of National institutions, 2 Vice-Chancellors, top research management officials from ICAR HQ, eminent scientists, researchers, research scholars, students, and more than 200 farmers participated in the conference.
An exhibition with 16 technology stalls by various Govt. and Non-Govt. organizations especially leading seed companies was arranged for the benefit of farmers, students, researchers and academicians. There were technical sessions with important themes viz., Present status and challenges of seed chain management, Recent developments in seed processing and market intelligence and Importance of landraces, local genotypes, and GI-tagged varieties. The Directors of National institutions like ICAR-NRRI, ICAR-DMAPR, ICAR-NRC on Litchi, and ICAR-DFR, Senior Scientist from ICAR-IIOR, and Dr. Janmejaya Ray, Advocate, Supreme Court of India & Standing Counsel ICAR participated in the panel discussion and deliberated on the significance of seed and planting material and seed chain management. Further, the conference included 33 poster presentations and more than 50 oral presentations by various participants, giving an idea of R & D work in the seed sector. The event concluded with a strong call for collaborative efforts among various stakeholders to strengthen the quality seed supply chain management to ensure food security and drive sustainable agricultural development in the Eastern and North-eastern Hill regions.
The Valedictory ceremony of the National conference was held in the august presence of Sri Suresh Pujari, Hon’ble Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management, Prof Tusar Kanti Behera, Director ICAR-IIHR, Dr. Janmajeya Ray, Advocate Supreme court of India and Standing Council, ICAR, Dr. Sudhakar Pandey, ADG (Flowers, Vegetables, Spices, and Medicinal Plants), ICAR, Dr. Joykrushna Jena, DDG (Fisheries Science) ICAR, and Dr. R. C. Agarwal, DDG (Education). Hon’ble Minister gave away the awards for the best scientific paper presentations and best technology exhibition stalls. Dr. T. H. Singh Organising Secretary of the Conference proposed Vote of thanks. The proceedings and the policy recommendations of this national conference are expected to serve as a valuable reference for the development of a roadmap for seed chain management in the Eastern & North Eastern regions of India.
