Seed exports may touch Rs 1,000 crore mark in next 2-3 years: NSAI

NEW DELHI: Export of agri-seeds from the country may more than double to Rs 1,000 crore in the next 2-3 years as 38 varieties from India have been registered in the OECD list, industry body NSAI said today.

The listing of Indian seeds with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a group of 34 countries, guarantees the quality of seeds that can be imported by countries participating in the OECD Seed Schemes. About 57 nations are registered in such seed schemes.

"Seed export is expected to rise to Rs 1,000 crore in the next 2-3 years as for the first time 38 Indian private seed varieties have been registered in the OECD list," National Seed Association Executive Director Raju Kapoor said.

Currently, India exports Rs 400-450 crore worth of seeds. The shipment of agri-seeds is likely to increase as non-member countries of OECD also go by this list, he said.

Kapoor said the registration of 38 varieties takes the total number of Indian seeds in the OECD list to 95. The recently registered varieties are hybrid and mostly cotton, millets, maize and vegetables.

Another 118 Indian varieties are in the pipeline for registration with OECD in the coming months, he added.

At present, the size of the domestic seed market is Rs 13,000 crore, while India's share in the world seed market is one per cent. However, the proposed National Seed Mission aims to increase the trade to 10 per cent of global trade by 2020, Kapoor said.