Bihar Seed Corporation Prepares 1.60 Lakh Quintals of Wheat Seed for Rabi

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Bihar State Seed Corporation has prepared 1.60 lakh quintals of certified wheat seed at its processing plant in Kudra, Kaimur district, for the upcoming rabi season. The seed is intended for supply across all 38 districts of Bihar, but dispatch will begin only after the state government issues district-wise targets, officials said.

Approximately 2,000 seed-producing farmers from the four Shahabad districts — Kaimur, Rohtas, Bhojpur and Buxar — supply raw wheat to the corporation. The raw seed is cleaned, graded, treated with fungicides and insecticides, and tested for moisture, physical purity and germination at the plant. According to the corporation, certified wheat seed must have a moisture content of 12% or less and a minimum germination rate of 85%. The processed seed is packed and distributed through Primary Agricultural Credit Societies and authorised dealers, with eligible farmers receiving subsidies under Bihar government schemes. Separately, the corporation plans to prepare 3,795 quintals of certified pulse and oilseed seed this year.

Which law governs seed certification in India?

The Seeds Act, 1966 provides the legal framework for regulating the quality of seeds sold in India, including provisions for seed certification and labelling. The Seeds Rules, 1968 framed under this Act set out the detailed procedures for certification, including field standards, seed standards and the functions of certification agencies. The Seeds Act also established the Central Seed Committee and Central Seed Laboratory to advise on and enforce seed quality standards. The Indian Minimum Seed Certification Standards, issued under this framework, prescribe the minimum germination and purity requirements for certified seeds of different crops. The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act, 2001 separately recognises the rights of farmers to save, use, sow, resow, exchange, share or sell their farm-saved seed, subject to certain conditions.

How is the seed processed and certified?

Raw wheat lots brought from farmers are first sampled to check moisture and physical purity. The grain then passes through a pre-cleaner machine that removes husk, stalks, stones and dust, and separates small, shrivelled or broken grains. Light, hollow or disease-affected grains are discarded. After grading, the clean seed is treated with recommended fungicides and insecticides in a seed treatment unit to protect it from soil-borne diseases and pests. A final sample from each processed lot is sent to the Bihar State Seed Certification Agency's laboratory, where genetic purity, physical purity and germination capacity are tested. Only after the lab approves the lot is the seed weighed and packed automatically.

What role do farmers in the Shahabad region play?

The corporation provides wheat seed to farmers in Kaimur, Rohtas, Bhojpur and Buxar, who grow the crop and produce raw seed on their fields. The corporation then buys back this raw seed for processing at the Kudra plant. About 2,000 seed-producing farmers are part of this arrangement, which links seed production directly with the processing facility and ensures a local supply chain for certified seed.