Amit Shah to Address 'National Symposium on Production of Improved and Traditional Seeds through Cooperative Sector’ on October 26

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah, is set to deliver a keynote address at the ‘National Symposium on Production of Improved and Traditional Seeds through Cooperative Sector’ scheduled to be held in New Delhi on October 26, 2023.

The event, organized by the Bharatiya Beej Sahakari Samiti Limited (BBSSL), aims to promote cooperative efforts in enhancing seed production, particularly in advanced and traditional seeds.  Amit Shah will also unveil the organization's Logo, Website, and Brochure and distribute membership certificates to BBSSL members.

The primary objective of BBSSL is to serve as a national-level multi-state cooperative society, acting as an overarching body for advanced and traditional seed research, production, processing, and marketing within the cooperative sector. This initiative received a strong impetus from the Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, highlighting the need for a unified cooperative organization in this domain.

BBSSL's role extends to providing support and assistance to cooperatives across India in various aspects of seed production, including demand-based production, infrastructure development for storage, processing, and packaging of seeds, logistics support, quality enhancement, standardization, certification, and marketing of the seeds. Moreover, BBSSL is committed to assisting cooperative societies in the multiplication and conservation of traditional seeds across different crop varieties.

This development aligns with the larger vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who envisions ‘Sahakar Se Samriddhi,’ emphasizing the importance of cooperative efforts for national prosperity. The quality seed production and distribution facilitated by BBSSL are anticipated to significantly boost agricultural output, thereby creating additional employment opportunities within the agriculture and cooperative sectors.

It will also reduce the reliance on imported seeds, fostering economic growth in rural areas, supporting the ‘Make in India’ initiative, and contributing to the realization of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India). The symposium will commence with a presentation by officials from the Ministry of Cooperation, highlighting 54 new initiatives undertaken in the past 27 months to strengthen the cooperative sector. Apart from approximately 2000 in-person participants from across the country, thousands of individuals will also join the one-day symposium virtually.

BBSSL is the result of a collaborative effort involving three major cooperative societies in the country: the Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), Krishak Bharati Cooperative Limited (KRIBHCO), and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED).

Additionally, two significant statutory bodies of the Government of India, the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), have jointly promoted and supported BBSSL.