Bihar officials asked to modernise seed producing equipment

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today instructed officials to modernise equipment for production of seeds of all crops grown in the state in order to bridge the gap between demand and supply.
"A total of 15 lakh tonne of seeds of all crops grown in the state is required while at present around 5 lakh tonne is produced in the state," Kumar said while chairing a review meeting of Agriculture department.
He instructed officials to strengthen the Bihar State Seed Corporation and modernise equipment used for seed production, an official statement said.
While setting up seed bank under accidental crop programme, special care should be taken while making arrangement for storage of seeds, Kumar said.

He said that storage should have facilities to regulate temperature and moisture so that they could be conserved for two or more years.
Principal Secretary of Agriculture Sudhir Kumar requested Kumar to start "organic corridor" programme on both sides of Ganga at the end of October to which he agreed.
In "organic corridors", people use organic fertilisers instead of chemical ones that affect land productivity in the long run.
Agriculture Minister Prem Kumar and a host of ministers of other departments along with senior officials attended the meeting.