Land on Lease to be Given for Increased Production of Seeds, says Agriculture Minister

The Bihar government plans to introduce a scheme in which agricultural land will be leased to commercial organizations under a public-private partnership (PPP) model for the establishment of seed production plants.

According to officials, the new scheme aims to improve seed production for higher farm production under the soon-to-be-launched fourth edition of the agricultural roadmap, which will begin in April of this year.

"We will lease land to interested enterprises under the PPP model for the production of seeds for various foodgrains. The government would acquire 50% of the seeds produced by the enterprises as rent for the leased land," stated state agriculture minister Kumar Sarvjeet. The minister stated that the initiative would be unveiled as part of the fourth agriculture agenda.

"We will also provide support in purchasing storage equipment so that they can quickly set up the plants," the minister added, adding that rules for the initiative are being developed. He stated that the initiative will help the state's agrarian sector.

According to officials, the state agriculture department has been delivering discounted seeds to registered farmers, and its idea of providing seeds to farmers at their doorstep has elicited a positive response from farmers, particularly during the Kharif season during the epidemic. The seed production budget has also seen a significant increase in recent years in order to improve seed productivity of various foodgrains and expand foodgrain production, according to officials.

Rice output in 2022-23 is estimated to be approximately 60-62 lakh metric tonnes, while exact figures are still pending. Wheat production this year is likely to be over 70 lakh metric tonnes, nearly four lakh tonnes higher than in 2021-22, according to officials.