AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION

SEED SUPPLY

Generally, it is the practice with all the big as well as medium sized cultivators, to preserve seed from their harvest. Only the small and poor cultivators who cannot afford to do so depend on the outside supply for meeting their seed requirements. Besides, those cultivators who want to replace their old seed for new promising varieties and those who want to undertake cultivation afresh, also depend upon the outside supply. The cultivator is very careful about the selection of good quality seed. He takes care that the grains preserved by him are bold and healthy and are lustrous in colour and at the same time free from insect attack.

The improved varieties of food-grain crops evolved by the department of agriculture give about 10 to 15 per cent increased yield over the local varieties. The. Agriculture Department has recommended the following nucleus seed of improved varieties and strains for use in the district:-

These improved strains are produced at different agricultural research stations and the same are distributed to taluka seed multiplication farms for the production of foundation seeds. These foundation seeds are distributed in the seed villages for further multiplication and the resultant registered seed is procured by the Zilla Parishad for meeting the demand from the cultivators. The programme is so arranged as to replace seeds from the cultivators in the district once in five years. There are ten taluka seed multiplication farms established in the district, and the foundation seeds of various improved strains are produced on these farms. The foundation seeds are further distributed to the seed villages through Zilla Parishad. Table No. 31 gives the information regarding production and distribution of seeds to the Zilla Parishad during the year 1968-69.

Table No. 32 gives the information of the seed farms in the district during 1968-69.

The hybrid seeds such as Jowar-CSH-1, CSH-2, Bajri-HB-1, Maize Deccan double hybrid are also produced on the cultivator's field under the supervision of seed certification authorities and the same are purchased by the apex marketing federation. The distribution of this seed is done through the co-operatives by the apex marketing federation to the needy cultivators and by the Zilla Parishad at places where Maharashtra State Co-operative Marketing Federation does not have its distribution centres.

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