In the context of food and nutritional security of India, enhancing the ‘Seed Replacement Rates’ of various crops helps in achieving the food production targets of the future. But what is/are the constraint/constraints in its wider/greater implementation?
- There is no National Seeds Policy in place.
- There is no participation of private sector seed companies in the supply of quality seeds of vegetables and planting materials of horticultural crops.
- There is a demandsupply gap regarding quality seeds in case of low value and high volume crops.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2014 Prelims]
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 3 only
(c) 2 and 3
(d) None
Answer: (b)
Explanation:
- There exists a National Seed Policy 2002.
- Although private sector seed companies supply quality vegetable seeds, they do so in limited quantities, and the majority of hybrid vegetable seeds are provided by the public sector.
- On the other hand, there is a significant demand-supply gap for high-volume, low-value crops such as wheat and rice regarding seed quality.
- Consequently, farmers often resort to using their own preserved seeds instead.
Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.