Their comments come in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 11 releasing 109 high-yielding, climate-resilient and bio-fortified seed varieties of agricultural and horticultural crops, to enhance farm productivity and farmers’ income. The PM released 109 varieties of 61 crops, including 34 field crops and 27 horticultural crops, developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The field crop varieties include cereals, millets, forage crops, oilseeds, pulses, sugarcane, cotton and fiber crops. For horticulture, the government released new varieties of fruits, vegetables, plantation crops, tubers, spices, flowers and medicinal plants. Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan said these seeds can yield good crops even in adverse weather and are rich in nutrition.
Experts have welcomed the move but pointed out that without adequate subsidy, small and marginal farmers may find it challenging to adopt these new varieties. Unless these climate-resilient seed varieties are sown, farmers’ income and food security would not improve as envisioned.
Price and infra challenges
Over 85% of all agricultural land is held by small farmers, those who possess 1 to 2 hectares. Farmers with over 10 hectares are classified as large farmers. “Smallholder and marginal farmers already operate on tight budgets, the upfront investment required for these innovations can be prohibitive,” says NK Rajavelu, CEO, Crop Protection Business, Godrej Agrovet.
Also, most farmers do not get adequate remuneration as middlemen control the prices. So their ability to buy costly seeds is limited.
Experts say they do not have information about the prices of the seeds released on August 11.
iStockInfrastructure challenges also come in the way of making farmers embrace new climate-resilient seeds.
Such seeds can cost 20-25% more than conventional seeds, says Nikhil Goveas, Lead Advisor-People and Nature, Environmental Defense Fund. As farmers always store some seeds from the previous season, the input costs on traditional seeds are lower, making costlier seeds less appealing.Infrastructure challenges also come in the way of making farmers embrace new climate-resilient seeds. “Many rural and remote farming areas lack the necessary infrastructure for efficient distribution of seeds and technologies. This can lead to situations where only farmers in certain regions benefit from these advancements, potentially exacerbating existing inequalities in the agricultural sector,” says Rajavelu of Godrej Agrovet. But he also points out that establishing a robust distribution network that reaches all farmers can be costly and logistically complex.
Need for climate-resistant seeds
The renewed push for climate-resilient seeds comes at a time when several research studies indicate that climate change could reduce rice yields in India by 3-5% under a “medium emissions” scenario, and up to 31.3% by 2030 under “high emissions”. The government plans to bring around 25% kharif paddy area under climate-resilient seeds. It claims that the coverage of climate-resilient seeds has made progress in wheat cultivation but lags in paddy.
The Sixth Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that climate change would weigh on the yields of cereal crops and also cause more crop failures. India would require production of 311 million tonnes of foodgrains by 2030 and 350 million by 2050 to feed its rising population, according to some estimates. This is another reason why increasing agriculture yield assumes importance amid rising population and disruptive weather patterns.
ML Jat, Director, Global Research Program on Resilient Farm and Food Systems, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad, calls the focus on climate-resilient crops a great initiative. “Every ton of CO2 emission from equipment costs the Indian economy $86. Climatic hazards have intensified and malnutrition is a serious concern. Therefore, this is a great initiative.”
Not as promising as it sounds
Agriculture expert Devinder Sharma doesn’t find any merit in the fanfare around the government, releasing 109 seed varieties of agricultural and horticultural crops. “There is nothing new happening here. Developing and releasing new seed varieties is a regular process that has been ongoing since Independence. Each variety takes something between five to seven years to completely develop and it’s an ongoing process,” he explains.
The Mohali-based food expert also points out that there is no certainty that farmers would use all the developed varieties. “Only a few turn out to be popular, eventually.” This is because farmers have often claimed that only one or two of such new varieties are resilient and practical to use.
iStockThe Sixth Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that climate change would weigh on the yields of cereal crops and also cause more crop failures.
Experts have observed that the uptake of improved seed varieties is usually slow among farmers, and they are generally skeptical about the yield and efficiency of the seeds. The fact that they cannot get their hands on these seeds because of “big supply gaps “exacerbates the problem.
A stronger network of seed farms connecting various regions can secure supply channels. But there is also a need for a transparent system to share information on the performance of these seeds. Farmers should be told of the “real” cost of adoption, says Goveas.
Since the 1960s, several seed varieties — especially landraces, developed based on traditional varieties and adapted to local conditions — have been lost as farmers have shifted to improved seeds. “Many of these traditional seed varieties were essential components of our diets, providing critical macro-and micronutrients for sustenance. There is a lot we don’t know about how the loss of these traditional varieties has affected the lives of farmers, the crops they grow, and the food we eat,” says Goveas.
Importance of diversity
The country has to put more efforts to strengthen the local seed systems. India has a larger diversity of germplasm of indigenous species and unlocking that diversity needs more investments for faster development of such varieties given the unpredictable climate situation, says Jat of ICRISAT. But these crops should also be economically competitive for farmers.
iStockIt is important that farmers need to be educated about the appropriate sowing window, inputs, nutrients, machinery, and operations.
Sharma says the government should focus more on traditional plant varieties than overly focusing on biofortified seed varieties. He claims that corporations push biofortified seed varieties for their benefit.
Experts also point out that relying too much on a limited number of seed varieties can reduce genetic diversity in crops.
“It’s important to promote the use of diverse seed types to ensure long-term agricultural resilience,” says Maninder Singh, Founder & CEO of CEF Group, which works in waste processing and environment protection. “Additionally, the transition to climate-resilient seeds may require initial investments in education and resources for farmers, as well as monitoring to avoid any unintended environmental impacts. Addressing these challenges through careful planning and support can help maximise the benefits of these innovations.”
It is important for farmers to understand the specific traits of the new varieties and the context in which they perform the best, including factors such as drought tolerance or disease tolerance. Else, experts say, the adoption rate will plummet.
Creating awareness
Tara Satyavathi C, Director, ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR), Hyderabad, says the government releasing 109 climate-resilient and bio-fortified seed varieties has more to do with creating awareness about such high-yielding varieties of agricultural and horticultural crops than anything else. Satyavathi, who was among the scientists present at the occasion during Modi’s visit, adds that the climate-resilient seed varieties provide a solution to farmers in the current scenario where soil is unable to absorb adequate water due to non-uniform rainfall.
“The soil is not able to retain required water due to sudden heavy downpours. Then there are also long dry spells. Not enough water is available for plant roots. So, the climate-resilient varieties help. The solution is to avoid long-duration crops and go for short duration crops as these mature early. Also, the new crop varieties come with high tolerance for increased temperatures. Furthermore, from 2017 onwards, we have looked for the micronutrient content along with the high yield productivity aspect,” notes Satyavathi.
Satyavathi also rejects the argument that climate-resilient seed varieties are costlier than traditional varieties. “Who says the cost of climate-resilient seed varieties is on the higher side. They are very much affordable for small farmers. The whole idea is to help small farmers improve the quality of their crops and increase their productivity,” she adds.
Multi-faceted approach
Ashok Kumar, Associate Director-Farm Prosperity, Transform Rural India (TRI), says farmers should be given a detailed recommendation on the practices and context in which these seeds will perform. “Interactions of these new genotypes with local landraces, indigenous and endemic varieties need to be understood before spreading the new varieties across the diverse agro climatic context of India. Similarly, regular availability and affordability had to be ensured to targeted farmers and in targeted geographies. Environmental and social impacts also need to be assessed well with these new genotypes,” adds Kumar.
It is important that farmers need to be educated about the appropriate sowing window, inputs, nutrients, machinery, and operations.
All said and done, access to storage infrastructure and market linkages are crucial for long-term success of any such innovation. Because ultimately, Goveas explains, these have to complement farmers’ efforts in using climate-smart practices to achieve triple wins — improve yields and incomes; build resilience and adaptive capabilities; and mitigate the worst impact of the climate crisis.
All these concerns can be addressed with a multi-faceted approach. The first step is to roll out targeted policies and subsidies to make these technologies more accessible to small-scale farmers, says Rajavelu. “Improving rural infrastructure and distribution networks is essential for equitable access. Continued research and development efforts should focus on making these technologies more affordable and adaptable to diverse farming conditions,” adds Rajavelu.
