Egyptian team arrives to study seed certification process in the country
A team from the Agriculture Ministry of Egypt arrived here on Sunday on a three-day visit to Telangana to study seed certification process in the country. The visitors complimented the State government for exporting 550 tonnes of quality seed of sorghum and fodder to their country last year.
Led by Gamal Al-Azab the Egypt delegation met Agriculture Production Commissioner C. Parthasarathi and Director of Telangana State Seed and Organic Certification Authority (TSSOCA) K. Keshavulu here on Monday. Mr. Al-Azab stated that they had plans to import higher quantity of OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) certified seed from India in the years to come.
Stating that they were here to study the farming practices and quality seed production methods in Telangana, the visiting team leader said some companies used to export seed in the name of reputed brands to Egypt but the export of OECD certified seed from India had helped them overcome the problem. He said Egypt was lagging behind in quality seed production and sought the cooperation of India to improve seed production practices with the help of training. Mr. Parthasarathi made a PowerPoint presentation on the activities of TSSOCA in seed certification in the country, online seed certification process, international seed and organic produce certification. He also explained how Telangana had grown into nodal agency for OECD seed certification for nine States in a short period with the quality processes.
Recollecting his visit to Egypt in 1998 for training on the technology of cotton production, Mr. Parthasarathi said Hyderabad houses about 400 seed companies meeting the 60% seed demand of the country. Telangana was on the path to become the seed bowl of the world in the years to come, he noted. The Director of TSSOCA said they had acquired required infrastructure for quality seed production and testing and ready to export sufficient quantity of OECD certified seed to Egypt and also to train their personnel in quality seed production.

www.thehindu.com