WINTER PROJECT REPORT

ON

“Study on seed processing operations of

Vegetable Crops for Domestic and Export Markets”

BY

NIRMAL KUMAR A

PGDM-ABPM 2023-2025

Submitted to:

Indian Institute of Plantation Management (IIPM)

Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM)
Agribusiness and Plantation Management (ABPM)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I have taken many efforts in this project. I am using this opportunity to express my gratitude to
everyone who supported me throughout this Internship project report, as it would not have been
possible without the kind support and help of many individuals and organizations. I would like
to extend my sincere thanks to all of them. I am thankful for their aspiring guidance, invaluably
constructive criticism and friendly advice during the project work. I am sincerely grateful to them
for sharing their truthful and illuminating views on several issues related to the project.

I would first like to express my gratitude towards my parents who have been a constant support
throughout and at the time of such adversity also they were a very big support. I am highly
indebted to Namdhari Seeds for their guidance and constant supervision as well as for
providing necessary information regarding the project & also for their support in completing the
project.

And their suggestions have helped me to shape my project in a well-curated manner. I owe a lot
to IIPM for laying the building blocks of logic and pragmatism and developing an insatiable
thirst for knowledge in me. My cordial and sincere thanks to Prof. Rakesh Mohan Joshi,
Director of IIPM, other faculty members of the institute, who are my source of inspiration in all
the endeavors work.

I also thank all the respondents who have given their valuable time, views and authentic
information for this project. I am thankful to my seniors, friends and classmates for their help,
support and good spirits.

NIRMAL KUMAR A

PGDM-ABPM (2023-2025)
DECLARATION

This is to certify that I, NIRMAL KUMAR A student of Post Graduate Diploma in Agri-
Business and Plantation Management of (2023-25) Batch, IIPM, Bangaluru has completed his

internship from 1st January to 21st January and prepared a Project Report titled “Study on
seed processing operations of vegetable Crops for Domestic and Export Markets” for
Namdhari Seeds. I have given original and authentic data, information and maintained full
confidentiality to the best of my knowledge in the project report and that, no part of this
information has been used for any other assignment but the partial fulfilment of the
requirements towards the completion of the said course.

NIRMAL KUMAR A

PGDM-ABPM (2023-25)

IIPM, Bangalore
CONTENTS

SL. No Project Road Map Page No

1 Executive summary 1

2 TimeLine 2

3 About Company 3

4 Project Brief 5

5 Key objectives of the Project 7

6 Process Flow of Seed Processing 8

7 Reasons for Operations Inefficiencies 10

8 Key areas of improvement 11

9 Development of Digital Hygiene Scorecard 13

10 Table of respondents 17

11 Analysis 19

12 Conclusion 20
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In Namdhari Seeds, the field study has been carried out for the seed processing needed for the
domestic and the export market in Indian context. The time spent in research and discovering the
operations at the plant was well worth it and contributed to finding the improvements in operations
and also in maintaining the hygiene conditions. I understand that the key to determining a
problem's underlying cause is observation. not just for my project but also for day-to-day tasks. The
survey consists of the two types of the survey. One is the development of the digital hygiene
scorecard and the customer satisfaction towards the Namdhari Seeds services. Through the study
we can learn about the SOPs of operations and MR operations, reasons for the operations
inefficiencies, areas of the improvement and the development of the digital hygiene scorecard. The
scope of the project encompasses all levels of the Vegetable Crops Supply chain. It starts from the
seed intake till dispatch to market which includes seed intake, Seed processing, Treatment and
packing, Storage (Seed and Non-seed material) the Hygiene scorecard, Logistics, Market Returns
and Remnant & scrap disposals.

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TIMELINE

Work Done Jan 1 to 10 Jan 11 to

19

Detailed understanding of SOP’s for

Different Operations :(FC Operations
MR Operations)

Key learnings of slurry preparation,

Packaging and Bulking Activities.

Understanding the Basic SAP

Process and BOM, Inventories,
Packaging Materials etc

Development of Hygiene scorecard and

Global Satisfaction that score card
Report and its Analysis

Understanding breakdown analysis and

identifying reasons for poor efficiency
in FC Operations

Developing key areas of improvement

and its analysis

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ABOUT COMPANY
Located in India, Namdhari Seeds is a seed business that specializes in creating hybrid seeds
for a range of crops, including vegetables, field crops, and flowers. The business was
established in 1985 and has since grown to become one of India's top seed firms, operating in
over 9 nations.
The extensive research and development programs of Namdhari Seeds are renowned for their
focus on creating hybrid seeds that are high-yielding, disease-resistant, and adaptable to
various climatic situations. The business also has a wide network of dealers and distributors,
which enables it to reach farmers in isolated locations and offer them high-quality seeds and
technical assistance.
The confidence of farmers has encouraged us to employ the newest and greatest technologies to
produce higher harvests. We are better able to comprehend farmers' present and future demands
as a result of our ongoing interactions with them. Our team uses cutting-edge genetic engineering
and breeding techniques to produce seeds with the desired properties and built-in biotic and
abiotic stress resistance that are suitable for various agroclimatic settings.
MISSION
 To incorporate practical technology into research and development to transform the sector of
agriculture
 To continuously improve the farming community's economic and technological
infrastructure
 Being a dynamic force in the agricultural industry and promoting sustainable prosperity for
all of its members

VISSION
 The completion of our business as a regional authority and a global rival
 The accomplishment of a project supported by a technological benchmark for enterprises
based on agriculture
 A persistent commitment to providing goods and services that meet international standards
CERTIFICATIONS

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THE POPULAR VARIETIES OF VEGETABLE CROPS SEED PRODUCTION IN
NAMDHARI SEEDS
TOMATO
The tomato hybrids were among the first hybrid seeds Namdhari's ever released in 1992. At the
time, this was a revolutionary accomplishment since they were the first tomatoes from South India
to reach North India. The 815 and 253 hybrids that Namdhari's produced transformed the tomato
category that could be sent across the nation and established new benchmarks. Our tomatoes today
serve as evidence of India's early achievements in cultivating locally grown food that is valued
globally.
Success differentiators:
The first type of tomato that could be shipped across the country
 Extremely versatile in terms of climate
 Seeds that consistently bear fruit
 The ability to produce seeds in all seasons
 Hybrids having a strong defense against TyLCV
 Hybrids possessing superior leaf cover

WATERMELON
Our watermelon hybrids, which were introduced in 1993, were our initial attempt at producing
hybrid seeds and are among our initial achievements. In the nation, Namdhari Seeds is the biggest
producer and distributor of watermelons; one out of every four watermelon seeds is a hybrid
produced by Namdhari. Indian watermelons have become standard, with variety No. 295 accounting
for the majority of watermelons marketed in the country. Our watermelons come in a unique
pattern, bigger size, and are incredibly adaptable.
Success differentiators:
The adaptability of hybrids bred locally
 Having the necessary horticultural qualities that producers, traders, and consumers favor

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  High resilience to illness
 Good properties for transport and storage
 Hybrids with high yields
OKRA
After the release of the first hybrids in 1992, which were tomatoes and watermelon, we expanded
the variety of crops we could grow and researched okra, gourds, cucumbers, and cauliflower in
detail. We are renowned for cultivating okra cultivars with exceptional resistance to disease and
productivity.
Success differentiators include:
 High resistance to ELCV and YVMV
 Good transport and keeping characteristics
 Nice-looking plants with deep, narrow leaves; hybrids that can branch well; hybrids ideal for
long-distance transportation and Middle Eastern markets

PROJECT BRIEF
Introduction:
The seed it contains the entire genetic potential of the plant, the seed is known as the "carrier of
technology." The most affordable and crucial component for the success of crop production is
high-quality seed.

In order to get the improved genetic materials of the plant breeder into commercial channels and
feed the world's population, which is expanding quickly, seed processing is an essential
component of seed manufacturing. The farmer's entire crop hinges on getting high-quality seed
that is free of any undesirable components.

Farmers get seed that is contaminated with weed, crop, or inert material, rendering it
inappropriate for immediate sale. These seeds are mixed with a variety of materials, including
sand, stalks, and seeds from other plants.
Background:
With farmers relying on seeds from markets with better qualities rather than using seeds from
the previous season's harvest, the seed industry has seen significant growth over the past century.

The introduction of genetically modified crops and advancements in seed technology have both
accelerated the industry's expansion. The seed market has also benefited from these
developments. Farmers must now use upgraded seed kinds that have been commercially created
rather than using seeds from the previous harvest due to changes in farming practices around the
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world. Farmers were encouraged to invest in commercial seeds by factors like high yield, higher
nutritional quality, decreased crop damage, disease resistance, etc.

Global Scenario:
At a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of +8.10% from 2019, the global vegetable seeds
market is expected to reach a valuation of USD 14.00 billion by 2025, up from an estimated
USD 8.77 billion in 2018. With China and India holding a significant market share of 48% of
the worldwide vegetable seed industry, the Asian vegetable seed market is the largest. Over the
forecast period of 2020–2025, the Indian market for vegetable seed is expected to develop at a
CAGR of 9.8%.

Indian Scenario:

With a valuation of 2.7 billion US dollars, the Indian seed sector ranks fifth globally (Dubey,
2016). This amounts to a total market for vegetable seeds, including OPVs, of 4000 crores (US
$580 million). India ranks seventh in terms of volume and tenth in terms of value when it
comes to the import of vegetable seeds worldwide. By volume, it made up almost 1% of all
vegetable seed imports in 2018. With a 26% stake, Europe comes in second, with France
serving as a significant center for the export of vegetable seeds to the rest of the world. India
exported 18.7 million tons of vegetables in 2015–16, valued at 4866.91 crores. 18.7 million
tons of vegetables worth 4866.91 crores were exported by India. In 2018–19, India exported
11.9 thousand MT of vegetable seeds valued at Rs. Crores 745.95 / US$ Mill 107.76. India's
top three countries of destination for vegetable seed exports are the Netherlands (25.42 mill
USD), USA (22.25 mill USD), and Pakistan (17.1 mill USD).

The seed industry in India is experiencing new paradigms of growth and development as a result
of increasing domestic demand coupled with a need for high-quality seeds in several foreign
nations, mostly South East Asian nations.

Over the past few years, demand for seeds has increased as a result of increased access to
knowledge and improved extension services for farmers, who now have a greater understanding
of the advantages of utilizing quality, certified seeds. Farmers are now more willing than ever to
pay more for high-quality seeds as a result.

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Future for the Vegetable Seed Industry:

The vegetable seed business has a huge potential for creating jobs. Vegetable hybrid seed
production involves a significant amount of manual labor for pollination and emasculation.
Vegetable seed production centers must be spread out to non-traditional high-yield areas.
Funds from various government programs, such as the MNREGA and Tribal Sub Plan, should
be made available to rural communities so they can receive training in seed production. It is
necessary to promote the development of village-level entrepreneurship. One of the key
methods the government announced to double farmers' income by 2022 is the promotion of
ancillary activities and diversification of farm enterprise, for which vegetable seed production
can play a significant part in doubling farmers' income. With its varied climate, fertile soil, and
large labor force, India has the potential to dominate the world in vegetable seed exports and
bring prosperity to the countryside.
KEY OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT:
 To Understand the detailed SOPs of FC Operations and MR Operations.

● To Identify reasons for Operations Inefficiencies

● To suggest Key Areas of Improvement

● To Develop Digital Hygiene scorecard

Research and Development in Namdhari Seeds:

In Namdhari Seeds, Research & Development (R&D) team plays a major role in the
conservation of seed crop germplasm to maintain a well genetic base for crop improvement. The
R & D Centre maintains a germplasm collection of crops such as Ash Gourd, Beetroot, Bitter
Gourd, Cabbage, Chili, Cauliflower, Carrot, Capsicum, Onion, Bottle Gourd and more
vegetable seeds releases the Products to suits the markets as per customer requirements which
will approve through series of testing protocols across the business areas. To make a scale-up
business the R&D Team handoff the Breeder seed to Parent Seed Function.

The parent seed produces the parents through Parent seed production activities by multiplying
the breeder seed, pre-basic seed and basic seed transfer the same to hybrid seed production. The
hybrid seed is produced from a quality parent seed through farmers by monitoring, managing
and giving technical and technological advice to the farmers with stringent quality checks at field
levels at different intervals by making several rounds of field visits. Such seed produced by
farmers shall be procured through the process and post-harvest management and dispatch to Seed

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Conditioning Plants.

The hybrid raw seed received in the plant is cleaned using different types of machinery and
technologies, tested for quality (Physical, Genetic and Germination), Stored, treated, packed and
dispatched to market in time all the time as the market requirements and quality standards
decided by the company.

PROCESS FLOW OF SEED PROCESSING

1. Seed Intake:

This deals with the intake of seed material from different sources like Plants, Production
locations, cold storage and Depots.
2. Seed Processing Process:

Processing seeds through the appropriate machines is made possible by process flow operation.
If the usage of any machine is not required in subsequent operations in a certain seed lot, elevators
are equipped with bypassing devices to bypass that machine. Via elevator, the raw seed will be
fed to the pre-cleaner. These huge, unwanted items will be removed by this equipment. An
elevator will be used to feed the fine cleaner with the partially cleaned seed. Small undersized
materials, such as undersized seeds, will be segregated in this case based on the size disparity.
For the purpose of extracting the light seed, the cleaned seed will be transported by elevator to
the specific gravity (Primary) separator. Using the elevator, the middle-out seed was further fed
into Secondary Specific gravity.

3. Machinery:

Pre & Fine cleaners:

The Pre & Fine cleaner is the fundamental piece of equipment utilized in the aspiration,
scalping, and grading cleaning processes. Two air blasts and three screens are often used in a
cleaner for processing seed (Top - Middle - Bottom). Before the seed reaches the first screen, the
first air system filters out dust and small chaff. The beneficial seed can fall onto the second screen
from the first screen. The bulky alien substance is thrown away after passing over the first screen.
A grading screen is on the second and third screens.

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Specific gravity separator (Primary & Secondary):
The seeds' specific gravities vary, it is frequently possible to separate seeds that have the same
size and form. This distinction helps increase the purity and germination of agricultural seeds
by removing light immature seeds or heavy sand and boulders.

Elevator:
To move seed from one machine to another, a single leg bucket elevator with a receiving
hopper, boot, bucket, belt, boot pulley, leg, head pulley, motor, drive, and discharge spout will
be employed. The seed will be raised vertically up from the bottom and discharged to various
machineries from the top.

Packaging

The seed is packaged after being processed. The most time-consuming and expensive process in
a seed processing factory is typically bagging. During bagging, the bag must be filled precisely,
sealed, and labelled. These tasks are either carried out by hand with a hygiene scorecard or with
devices that require manual operation, such as a weighing scale and a bag sealer.
Advantages of seed processing:
1. Because of the appropriate sizing, planting rates are more uniform.
2. Enhance the quality of seed germination.
3. Prevent farmers from suffering financial losses.
4. Stop crop losses and other diseases from spreading.
5. Encourage farmers to have better services and trust

Secondary
Specific Gravity
separator

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REASONS FOR OPERATION INEFFICIENCIES:

● In-accuracy of seed-Moisture & flagging documentation at production fields.

● Documentation failure of real-time intake moisture level for maize at dryer & shelling plant.

● Use of incorrect screen sizes during shelling for maize crop. (to get a high recovery rate)

● Inappropriate tagging for GF, RF bags after shelling & while dispatching.

● Huge number of broken seeds, inert matter (husk, shells)—which are to be segregated during
intake for drying but are not done accurately, (thus all these are carried in jumbo bags from
drying & shelling location to a processing plant) and are noticed only while issuing seed for
processing lines.
● Due to the high quantity of broken or inert matter—the recovery rate comes down at the
processing level (with optimum use of screen sizes crop-wise) & final output reduces.
● Lot wise bags are placed at different locations due to space constraints (at the processing
plant, Cold storage) & Market requirements (for immediate consumption).
● Breakdown of machines is due to various reasons: Mechanical, Technical (IT, Printers, Code
Next), Electricity, Non-availability of seed for consumption (due to high moisture levels of
seed), delay in Quality clearance, Line changeovers (this is mandatory).
● Fumigation maintenance at Bay areas.

● Space constraints at warehouses due to stacking of Packed seed for long period (causes cross
infestation if a single bag is affected).
● Lowering of Vendor performance levels, which involves the supply of poor material quality,
printing errors, material specifications errors-thickness, design, colour etc.
● Lack of Planning about the estimation of hybrid seed production from production fields to
direct the same for drying, processing, inventory stock preparation. (non-seed material),
space arrangement. All these reasons cumulatively causing Overhead/indirect expenses.
(Paddy Drying costs, Logistics halt expenses at dryers, seed quality deterioration by storing
for long period at ambient warehouses, business loss if sufficient packaging material &
chemicals are not available)
● Poor maintenance of hygiene conditions in the warehouses further leads to increased pest
incidence and additional costs to control the same

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KEY AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT
1. Space Constraints:

● By keeping a limitation for storage of the seeds at the warehouses, and also having a plan of
action to counter the consequences, if the storage capacity exceeds the limit.
2. Pest Management

● Common Control Measures for Pest management in Warehouse:

● Sanitation: Which Includes the Interior and exterior premises of the warehouse.

In Interior premises: A vegetation-free zone or barrier around the outside perimeter of the
warehouse will discourage crawling insects and rodents. It is necessary to clear away clutter like
used gunny bags, used pallets, and used packing materials.

In exterior premises: Exterior areas of the warehouse must be kept neat and clean so that this will
not attract insects or rodents.
No Vegetation should be on the perimeter of the Warehouse, which will discourage the crawling
of insects and rodents.

3. Storage Practices:

1. Proper management of pallets before stacking seeds that are used inside ambient warehouses
is important as they harbor various pests.
2. Avoid reuse of gunny bags. (Limited for twice)

3. Dirt, rubbish, sweepings removed and whitewashed

4. Periodic fumigation

5. The Expired seed stock should not be stored or discarded.

6. Use of Light traps or electric traps.

7. Use of Ultrasonic sounds to control birds.

4. Hygiene Conditions in Warehouses

Common ways to maintain Hygiene Conditions:

 Sanitize and disinfect the storage area

 Maintain a cleaning schedule

 Use the FIFO Mechanism

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  Label all Area

 Have necessary Tools (Equipment needed for disinfection)

5. Machinery breakdowns

❖ Maintaining Continuous IT Support to the Machines.

❖ Pre-season servicing of the machines.

6. Human Resources

❖ Proper training to the Machinery Operators.

❖ Ensure maintaining skilled machine operators to avoid disruptions during peak season time.

❖ Maintaining optimum laborers for day-to-day activities.

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DEVELOPMENT OF DIGITAL HYGIENE SCORECARD

We have developed a Digital hygiene scorecard with a aim of understanding the hygiene conditions
of the warehouses, identify areas of improvement and to counter with a plan of action.

Questionnaire:

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15
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 TABLE OF RESPONDENTS:

Date Name of Employee

11-01-2024 Ravishankar G
11-01-2024 TVR Vittal
12-01-2024 N. Sanjay
14-01-2024 Ravishankar G
15-01-2024 Ravishankar G
15-01-2024 TVR Vittal
16-01-2024 TVR Vittal
16-01-2024 Ravishankar G
17-01-2024 TVR Vittal
18-01-2024 Ravishankar G
18-01-2024 TVR Vittal
19-01-2024 TVR Vittal
21-01-2024 Ravishankar G
21-01-2024 TVR Vittal
22-01-2024 TVR Vittal
22-01-2024 Ravishankar G
23-01-2024 TVR Vittal
24-01-2024 Ravishankar G
25-01-2024 Ravishankar G
26-01-2024 Ravishankar G
27-01-2024 Ravishankar G
28-01-202 Ravishankar G

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Analysis

Average score- warehouse and overall score

Date W1 W2 W3 AVG
12-01-2024 4.6 5.5 4 4.7
13-01-2024 4.85 7.88 4.66 5.8
14-01-2024 4.77 6.33 6.33 5.81
15-01-2024 4 5.05 4.83 4.63
16-01-2024 4.5 5 4.83 4.78
17-01-2024 6.6 7.1 7 6.90
18-01-2024 3.83 4.27 3.66 3.92
19-01-2024 5.44 6.44 5.33 5.74
20-01-2024 3.88 4.44 3.66 3.99
21-01-2024 4.55 5.16 4.33 4.68
22-01-2024 3.44 4.38 3 3.61
23-01-2024 2 2 2 2.00
24-01-2024 2 2 2 2.00
25-01-2024 2.66 3.22 3 2.96
Overall Avg 4.08 4.91 4.19 4.39

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 Chart Title
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

W1 W2 W3 AVG

INTERFERENCE:

From the above analysis, we can draw that, there is a steady decline. which indicates that the
hygiene conditions are degrading.
The major reasons for degradation are:

● Due to space constraints

● More market returns than expected

● Poor handling of MR by the labor’s

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CONCLUSION:
In brief, this internship has been a wonderful and fulfilling experience. I can say that working at
Namdhari Seeds has taught me a lot of valuable lessons. I think the time I spent learning about
the plant's operations and conducting research was well worth it because it helped identify areas
for improvement and maintained hygienic conditions (Pest management). Over my training, I've
come to understand that the most important factor in determining a problem's underlying cause
is observation. not just for my project but also for day-to-day tasks. I work with my coworkers
and the operators on my project to identify the issues. In addition, the project indirectly aided in
my development of independence, self-discipline, consideration for others, patience, self-
confidence, initiative, and problem-solving skills. Additionally, when I communicate with
others, my communication abilities get stronger. A few more skills I picked up at Namdhari
Seeds include the value of time management, goal management, analytical and critical thinking,
and collaboration with coworkers.

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