Importance of quality seed in food self sufficiency and security in Nepal
Nepal’s population is growing at a rate of 1.35 percent per year over the last ten years. Similarly, grain and agricultural product imports have been steadily increasing year after year. As a result, more food must be grown to feed the growing population. With higher-quality inputs such as seed, fertilizer, and irrigation, more food can be produced.
Quality seed is referred to as the most viable means to improve agricultural production, on which the efficacy of other inputs like fertilizer, irrigation is dependent. Quality seed includes genetic purity, trueness to type with high degree of physical purity, uniformity, high germination potential, moisture and vigor, freedom from diseases and pest and noxious weeds. Quality seed should be improved variety. If a seed lot meets the certification standard it is said to be quality seed. Pure seeds are true to type, with high sowing quality, good yield potential, evenness in growth pattern and maturity. They are truly superior to existing one. Since these seed are latest and suited in the area for higher production. There will be more self sufficiency of food. It is said, such seeds are resistant to pest and disease, well adopted to agro-climatic condition and cropping system of locality. They have wide range of adaptability, tolerate to adverse climatic conditions like drought, flood and frost.
Quality seed has a critical role in boosting and sustaining agriculture productivity, and hence in making the country food self-sufficient. Quality seed has a lot of potential to boost production and profits. It is expected that high-quality seed can contribute to a 20% increase in output. As a result, high-quality seeds are frequently referred to as “green revolution seeds.”
Because of the high germination percentage and vigor, an outstanding harvest with a suitable plant population and uniform growth can be raised. The lower the risk of insects, pests, and disease attack, the lower the cost of production. Similarly, utilizing high-quality seeds makes intercultural and management techniques like proper irrigation, weeding, and fertilizer application easier.
In crop production, high-quality seed is a must. All additional inputs, like as fertilizer, irrigation, herbicides, and so on, will be ineffective. It’s been discovered that using high-quality seed can boost production rates. Production will be increased even further if all other recommended inputs are employed. Furthermore, good seed is a vehicle for new technology. They show good response of other agricultural inputs, thus brought a revolution in agriculture. Quality seed reduce the amount of seed requirement by about 25% which will make the farmers to save their money and invest in other inputs to raise production. Generally improved seeds are of short duration than local seeds and this helps in timely harvesting of preceding crop so that succeeding crop can be planted on time.
In short, we can say that quality seed help farmers to follow good crop rotation and results in more production in a year. Quality seed contributes to agricultural economic stability by delivering maximum return or output to farmers for the same input as local seed.. As a result, it indirectly aids the agricultural sector’s development. And, when there is economic stability in farming any crop, it immediately contributes to the country’s production, making it self-sufficient in food production.
Conclusion
To solve the problem of food insecurity, a country must be self-sufficient in food production. Food security can only be achieved if a sufficient amount of food is produced and made accessible to all people. As a result, in order to attain food security, we need concentrate on expanding agricultural production. It can be used to increase a country’s productivity. The world’s green revolution, which took place between 1960 and 1980, demonstrated the importance of high-quality seed in enhancing output. As a result, farmers in our country should be aware of the significance of high-quality seed. They should be given an adequate supply of high-quality seeds in order to enhance yield and, eventually, production, ensuring food security in the country.
Writer: Salina Neupane (Student, Paklihawa Campus, IAAS)