Dry land Agriculture in
Anantapur district of AP
Many challenges…….
An attempt to address the Seed Needs of
the Farmers through Community
Managed Seed System …. A Joint
initiative of Department of Agriculture
and Farmer Community
Community Managed Seed System
• An Initiative Towards Establishing Seed
Security Among the Dry Land Farming
Communities in Anantapur District of Andhra
Pradesh
• Supported by Department of Agriculture
• Facilitated by NGO’s
• Implemented by Farmer Groups
• State level Coordination by WASSAN at State
Level
Coverage Across the District
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10 NGO’s were part of this Initiative
Covered around 183 villages in 14 Mandals
2083 Seed Producing Farmers
2088 Acres
8059 Bags of seeds ( 30 kgs per bag )
Apart from the efforts of NGO’s, Department
also took up this initiative in another group of
200 + villages
Context
• Anantapur District is in the arid agroecological zone marked by hot arid climatic
conditions With a mean annual rainfall of
553mm
• It is the second lowest rainfall district in the
country.
• Groundnut is the single largest crop in the
district with 8 lakh hectares area under rainfed situation occupying about 90 percent of
the rainfed area.
Seed Issues in Anantapur District
• Large acreage under groundnut cultivation at a seed rate of about 70 to 90
kg per acre, Anantapur district requires seed in bulk.
• Cost of seed in itself forms over 50 per cent of the total cost of cultivation
in groundnut.
• Availability of seed has become a major political issue in the district as
dependence on the seed supplied by Department of Agriculture
subsidized has increased over time.
• Anantapur itself consumes bulk of the seed subsidy in the state amounting
to nearly Rs.110 crore every year.
• Procurement and distribution of certified and subsidized seed has also
become progressively more difficult for the Department to handle with
many vested interests creeping in and owing to the issues of seed quality.
• Much of the seed procured by the Department comes from outside the
district, thus draining out a lot of potential incomes in addition to the cost
of transport.
• With increasing dependence on external sources, groundnut seed supply
has become a messy situation
Plight of the farming Community
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Over the years, farmers who were otherwise self sufficient in seeds and other
inputs, have succumbed to frequent drought and associated crop failures, thus
increasing their dependence on the external suppliers for seeds. S
uch externalization has resulted in the farmers facing multiple challenges in terms
of increased costs and reduced profitability.
Ensuring availability of the seeds has become a major seasonal issue in the district.
Govt., sought to address the issue of availability of seeds through agriculture
department by ensuring its supply.
Under the present arrangement the department puts effort to supply minimum
quantity of seeds to all farmers i.e., 90 kg seeds per patta passbook, but quality
assurance is felt almost impossible due to the huge demand and the politics
behind seed procurement, certification and other processes.
Even if the supply from the department is not in time, the farmers, especially small
and marginal farmers have to wait until the seed comes to an identified
distribution centre at the mandal level.
The distribution process many times had assumed the witness of Lathi charge in
the recent past. They had to wait for two to three days to get 90 kg of subsidised
seeds but still quality remain(s)ed questionable
Emergence of Community Managed Seed Systems
• Addressing such a critical issue led to the evolution of Community
Managed Seed Systems (CMSS) in the given context.
• It was initiated by the Joint Director, Department of Agriculture,
Anantapur and the Commissioner for Agriculture, for self reliance in seed
production within the district using the Seed Village Program and
ISOPOM Scheme
• The initiative was intended to address both the supply and demand side
issues and consecutively transfer maximum benefit and control to the
farmer
• In simple terms, the CMSS involves seed producers and consumers coming
together to address the issue of ‘Seeds community through their own
institutions.
• Procurement, storage, sales and exchange among farmers of the same or
neighbouring villages, and distribution of seed through government
Subsidy programme
Intervention is aimed at achieving the following
objectives
• To establish seed systems that are managed and controlled
by farmers’ institutions
• To strengthen capacities of farmers and their institutions to
achieve self-sufficiency in quality seed production; this
includes establishment of CMSS Cooperatives formally
• To facilitate farmers to diversify their crops by enabling access
to seeds of a diverse range of crops and varieties.
• To establish a collaborative model of government - farmers’
institution facilitated by non government organisations with
experience
Pilot-Community Managed Seed System
• Several interactions were then facilitated by WASSAN, FES and
other NGO’s to synthesize various experiences with NGOs and the
Department in addressing the seeds issue in the district
comprehensively.
• FES is part of an innovative Programme on ensuring seed Security
in the Village- Community Managed Seed System (CMSS)
programme
• FES piloted CMSS in 11 villages covering Seed 120 producing
Farmers in 220 acres during this Pilot Phase. Altogether we have
got 660 of bags (30 Kgs per bag) of seeds costing Rs.10, 29,600, of
which 50 percent was subsidy from department.
Salient Features of the CMSS
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Government supplied Foundation Seeds at 50 percent subsidy @ 90 kgs per acre (
under normal SVP farmers are given only 30 kgs and restricted to 1 acre ) up to 5
acres per Farmer in Rabi for Bore well farmers identified by Farmers Group
• Agreement : Farmers would follow all SA Practices- Seed treatment, inter crop,
border crop, application of gypsum and would sell the produce back to the
Farmers Group
• Seed Producing farmers were registered with State Seed certification Unit
• Continuous on Field Follow up Support to the Farmers, visit of Seed certification
Team, Senior Government officials to get to now the Progress in the Field
• Discussed the options available of procuring the produce :
1. Directly by Farmers groups- Investment issue, capacity of the Farmers groups to
procure- process , get it certified, Store , redistribute back to farmers , how to avail
Subsidy ( As per Government norms, only Registered Seed Companies - AP Seeds
Corp, HACA, MARKFED can draw Subsidy )
2. Procuring through AP Seed Corporation- the original idea of seed getting
distributed in the same/near by village would get defeated, farmer would not be in
a position to go to central seed processing units of AP seeds to hand over their
produce, cannot ensure redistribution of CMSS seed to the same Farmers
Salient Features ….. contd
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Government agreed to allow the NGO’s to facilitate the Process of exchanging the
seed at farmer level , allowed local certification by AO, agreed to allow the Framers
to buy the seed from the farmer of their own village and avail subsidy under
normal government seed supply scheme, this decision was Historic in may
respects This is the first time in the Country where the Farmers were allowed to
procure their own seed from their own village and get the subsidy amount form
Department.
AO’s were asked to conduct germination test and certify the seeds
Farmers were allowed to procure seeds from the Farmer of the Village ( Who was
part of CMSS ) by paying Full costs of Rs 4800- 5200 per quintal at 3 bags per Patta
Book , seed processing was done in the village itslef.
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NGO’s facilitated the Procurement from the seed producing Farmers pack in 30
bags, lable it and get it centrally stored
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Farmers Groups Facilitated distribution of seeds involving AO, get Patta bookk
Stamped
NGO’s Compiled the list of Farmers based on the Patta Book and submit the list to
Department for release of subsidy
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Salient Features… Contd
• In FES 120 Farmers took up seed production in 220
acres covering 11 villages
• The total Yield was around 4280 Bags – 40 kgs,
around 5380 Bags of 30 kgs
• Total distributed through CMSS –Government
Subsidy Scheme for 686 acres with 2058 bags- 30 kgs
in 21 villages
• Seed used by Seed Producing Farmers own use 880
Bags ( Includes their close relatives )
• Seed sold to local farmers on Full cost basis – 435
bags
• Rest was sold in open market
Comparative cost estimation of subsidized seeds
under government and CMSS program
Cost Centres
Cost under Government Cost
under
Subsidy Scheme
Porgramme
Seed cost
3540
Travelling
Transportation
Daily labor loss
and 50
150
3135
0
0
Cost of food and other 75
expenses
0
Wastage with seeds
432 (12 kg)
0
Total Costs.
4247
3135
CMSS
What Does Farmers say about CMSS…..
• A Successful Framer Ramana Reddy from SR Kunta said ‘’ The
seed that we produced in our own village definitely had better
germination percentage. Wastage is not found in the bags.
Difficulties in the procurement came down; Seeds were
supplied in time and hence the sowing has been done in time.
My expenses towards seed procurement have come down by
25-30 per cent for this Kharif season. The seeds which I now
have are of one variety and I am sure I would get good yield
and fetch better price for the produce when I harvest in
November 2012’’
• Malli Reddy from Bathinagaripalle said ‘’ I got the best quality
seed through CMSS and I was able to save nearly Rs.1400 for
three bags and could take up Kharif cultivation in time. Since I
will be using pure quality seed, I expect good yield and I
would save the seeds required for my next crop from own
produce’’.
Cost savings to Government
• Government spends an amount of 107 Crores a year in
Anantapur District alone
• Around 15,000 Quintals exchanged through CMSS
• Government would be spending an amount of Rs. 2.57 crores
under CMSS toward Subsidy
• Under the Government Regular Seed Supply scheme
government has spent an amount of 2.92 crores for the same
quality of seeds towards subsidy
• Savings for Government under CMSS amounts to Rs.35 Lakhs,
if CMSS is taken up covering all the Farmers of the district ,
savings for the Government could amount 35 crores +++
• Government supported NGO’s with 2.50 per KG of Seeds
procured
• Even if the Government withdraws subsidy and supports with
Facilitation costs, still the CMSS would be viable
Some of the Major Outcomes of CMSS
• For the First Time in the Country the Department has brought in a Policy
allowing the farmers to procure seed in their own village and get the
subsidy for the same.
• Farmers had the choice of choosing the seed and get the best seed
possible from within the village
• The seed was made available in the farmers hand well in advance of the
monsoon facilitating to get prepared for early sowing.
• Farmers in FES villages got Subsidy of Rs. 514,000 from the Department for
the seeds in Rabi for CMSS Programme and an amount of Rs. 10, 56, 369
for the seeds procured through CMSS in 20 villages.
• Since the Farmers have quality seeds of one variety, they expect that they
would get good yield , would help them save seed for use during Kharif
next year. This would mean that they don’t have to purchase during next
Kahrif and at the same time could avail the benefit of subsidy.
• Institutional Mechanisms have been put in place in all the villages where
CMSS was taken up to manage the project and this base is now being used
by FES to promote Sustainable Agriculture practices among these farmers
Way forward
• FES, along with the village Institutions, is looking forward for
multiplying the seed, seed producers and seed consumers
during the coming season - cover around 3000 farmers during
next Kharif.
• Similar expansion plans are being worked out by the NGO
Network with Coordination Support from WASSAN
• To promote seed security systems for other crops- Millets,
pulses and cereals also among these farmers
• Work towards establishing proper market linkage; explore
collaboration with Farmers Federation promoted by CCD, in
the district on this front.
• Work towards policy direction in collaboration with other
NGO’s .... If Government takes a stand , they can bring in
many changes ... This is what was done in CMSS