Shortage of staff in the Odisha Seeds and Organic Products Council, which tests and certifies seeds, has posed a big challenge for the State to achieve its target of raising seed production.
Of the 38 Assistant Seeds Promotion Officer (ASPO) regular posts, 35 have been lying vacant in the council for long. About 23 officials, of whom 18 are on contract basis and five on deputation from the Agriculture Department, are now managing works. The council is the only organisation to rest and certify seeds in the State.
While the Central rules stipulate that an Assistant Seeds Promotion Officer can test and certify seed samples from 600 hectares of land, the State council has entrusted each official to test samples from 1,000 hectares. According to norms, these officials are required to visit three times to the land where high yielding variety seeds are sown and keep a watch on everything starting from harvesting till the seeds are packed with requisite certifications. They mainly test quality of paddy, black gram, green gram and vegetables seeds produced in the State as part of the Government’s initiative to encourage farmers to grow improved varieties of seeds.
Notably, the State is producing around 6 lakh quintal of paddy seeds every year, and initiatives are afoot to raise production of mung and black gram seeds.