S.C.

Prabhu 1 17TH FEB 2010

 Seed Industry – basic structure

R & D - Hybrid Development and multilocation testing - hybrid owners

Seed production - To produce the seed as per defined norms

Seed processing - To maintain the physical purity and physical uniformity of the produced seed as per
defined norms

QA - To ensure that the seed meets the predefined quality norms

Marketing and product promotion - To distribute the seed to customers in a very effective manner

Product management - To understand the customer expectations and put efforts to fulfil the same

Supporting functions - Accounts, Administration, HR, legal etc.

Single Objective : CUSTOMER DELIGHT

Businesswise : To help in achieving topline and bottomline of the organisation

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 New Hybrid Development
( R&D)

Customer Feed Back From MKT Team/

Business Manager/
Product Manager

Selection of Germplasm
Bt gene
Stabilization of Male & Female lines
Test at
Every stage Hybrid Development
Multilocation trials & Demonstration
Selection of New Hybrids

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 OBJECTIVES OF SEED PRODUCTION

1. To supply seeds of assured quality,

in the required quantities,
at the right time.

2. Cost effective seed production.

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 Requirements

Stable and highly productive female lines from R&D with clear distinguishable
characters and trial production data from R&D with special technology if any

Timely production target from marketing

Timely availability of Foundation or Breeder seed with required quality norms

Timely availability of manpower and other resources

Efficient and timely processing

Timely availability of Qulaity testing results with accuracy

Timely payment to the growers as per the agreement

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 Levels of Seed Production

Nucleus Seed Breeder’s Seed Foundation Seed F1 Hybrid

- (R&D) ( R&D) - Parental seed multiplication - Hybrid seed production

- Concerned plant - >100/ 99.5 % pure, produced
breeder under the supervision of
- 100 % Pure the crop breeder and R&D
seed production unit
- Research farms
- F/s production team - Production department
- >99.5/99% purity - As per QC standards
- Contract growers - Contract growers

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 Methods of Seed Production

a) Line X Line Production

- Traditional method
- Involves Emasculation & Crossing
- Labour Oriented and expensive

b) Genetic Male Sterile Production

- One parent is GMS
- Involves rogueing of 50% plants during production
- Less labour oriented and comparatively less expensive

c) Cytoplasmic Male Sterile

- 100% Male sterile
- Cheaper production

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 Production Process
Sales Plan

Production Plan

Distribution of targets to regions / centres

Selection of Clusters/Villages/Growers

Distribution of F/seed to Growers

Crop Monitoring at different crop stages

Male line harvesting

Checking for male plants if any

Female line harvesting

Threshing, drying and bulk packing

Despatch to the designated processing unit

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 Activities of the Production department

1) Production Planning
a) Target distribution
b) Parental seed availability
c) Indent for B/seed
2) Area/ Target achievement
a) Grower contact/agreement/cash collection
b) F/seed distribution (Distribution list)
3) Area Distribution to staff
4) Registration with Govt. agencies
5) Collection of planting details
Preparation of planting list
6) Field inspections
7) Harvesting and threshing
8) Verification of sealing & despatching
9) Payment to Growers
10) Disposal of remant and fail lots
11) Resolving grower’s complaint

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 Production planning

Area planning - Calculating area in terms of unprocessed qty

target

Selection of villages – based upon the average productivity and

track record

Selection of growers – based upon the grower data and previous

performance of the growers in terms of productivity, quality and
track records

Grower education program/training – about the production

techniques, package and practices, spraying of fungicide, pesticide
and micronutrient schedule

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 Field monitoring activities

Strictly maintain the isolation distance and rogue out volunteer plants
Seed village concept
Field inspection at critical stages of the crop – Minimum 4-6 visits
Implementation of recommended package and practices
Checking for offtypes, timely roguing before crossing and recording the same
Detecting pest and disease incidence if any and timely spraying for the same
Precautionery fungicide sprays
Yield estimation of the crop at different stages with well defined methods
Lock the yield estimate at a particular stage
Ensure proper harvesting and drying ( if combined harvester is used – ensure no mixture
of other varieties)
Despatch of seeds – Smooth transit from grower field to the processing unit

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 Few critical steps of seed production cycle

• Effective planning : Cross functional interaction

Analysis of previous data
Planning the location and area
Schemes to promote the area
Risk distribution

• Implementation: Timely placement of F/s (treated with recommended chemicals)

Timely sowing
Timely inputs and pesticide sprays
Timely monitoring and rogueing
Timely guidance to growers
Timely and proper emasculation and crossing
Timely removal of non crossed flowers and self bolls if any
Timely picking and drying

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 Data recording and Analysis

Record the data starting from F/s distribution till the payment to the growers

The field monitoring data recording is a must and helps in solving many issues of quality complaints

Try to develop grower data system

Analyse growerwise performance after the season and this data to be used for production planning

Categorise the growers based upon the performance in terms of productivity, quality and other parameters

Best category growers to be selected for future programs and nonperformers to be blacklisted

Simple problem solving tools to be used to analyse the production problems

The data should be shared with all concerned for future improvement

Any field level problems to be communicated immediately to the relevant department for immediate solution

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 Grower relations

The production staff should have very good communication skills in local language

The good HR skills will help to maintain good relations with the growers

Always give good information about the products to be produced and other terms
and conditions

Conduct technical training program to educate the growers

Give package and practices and ensure the implementation of the same

Frequently visit the fields and guide in very efficient manner to solve any problems

Ensure the use of genuine inputs like pesticides, fungicides, micronutrients

Involve in social activities and community development programs

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 Responsibility of QA team for BIQ of during seeds production.

1. Ensuring correct use of parental seed , timely sowing in proper season.

2. Ensuring agronomy , inputs as per recommendations
3. Ensuring proper isolation, rogueing and other seed production procedures(Accuracy and
timeliness).
4. Preventive and curative plant protection measures.
Eg. Ergot in Jowar
5. Ensuring proper harvesting , threshing , drying and sealing as per procedure.
6. Ensuing the use of new / clean gunny bags for packing seeds.
7. Constant efforts for problem solving in the production fields.
8. Ensure proper sampling for QC tests.
9. To ensure that admixtures are prevented during processing and packing .
10. Training and technical guidance to growers
11. To maintain cordial growers’ relations.
12. Random cross checking of customers’ field for purity .
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 PRESENT SCENARIO

• Fairly good income from commercial hybrid Bt cotton

• Increased commodity price of competing crops
• High expectation of Seed production growers
• Increased cost of production leading to demand for increase in purchase
cost
• Shift in cropping pattern
• Abnormal Monsoon and late rains
• Tendency of grower unwillingness of accepting risk of quality failures
• Labour problem

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 Major concerns to be addressed

• Shortage of Labour in major production locations

• Less emphasis on quality parameters leading to casual approach of
growers
• Process of advance payment – risk factor
• Need to evolve alternate methods for emasculation and crossing
• Increased failure percentage in germination in cotton production
particularly in Gujarat – unheard earlier
• Demand for increasing the purchase price

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