Organic Seeds Must Be Made Available, Say Experts

Agartala, Aug 18, 2025, By Our Correspondent

The shortage of organic seeds has emerged as a major challenge for Tripura’s agricultural sector, limiting crop diversification and slowing the growth of organic farming in the state. Currently, organic cultivation is largely confined to crops such as ginger and turmeric due to the lack of suitable seeds.The issue was highlighted during a meeting held at the ICAR complex in Tripura last Wednesday, where experts from the Department of Agriculture, Government of Tripura, Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Animal Resource Development Department (ARDD), and representatives of Farmers Producer Organizations participated.While state government officials have claimed that Tripura has expanded organic farming to over 25,000 hectares and exported more than 1,300 metric tonnes of organic products, experts questioned these achievements. They pointed out that the limited availability of organic seeds for a wider range of crops makes such claims difficult to sustain.Experts further argued that inadequate storage facilities hinder the collection and preservation of organic seeds. They emphasized that organic seed production is not being carried out in a scientific or systematic way, which directly affects quality and availability.Sharing his insights during the discussion, Kiran Bhowmik, a Ph.D. scholar in Economics at Tripura University, noted that many tribal farmers in the state continue to practice organic paddy cultivation. However, he observed that this method has failed to achieve the expected level of productivity, leaving farmers economically vulnerable.Tripura continues to face a rice production deficit. According to official records, rice demand stood at 8.26 lakh metric tonnes (MT) in 2017–18 against a production of 7.70 lakh MT. By 2024–25, the demand had risen to 8.77 lakh MT while production was only 8.30 lakh MT, resulting in a deficit of nearly 47,000 MT.The state has set a target of bringing 25,200 hectares under hybrid rice cultivation using the System of Rice Intensification (SRI). However, experts cautioned that relying on hybrid systems is inconsistent with the principles of organic farming. “If Tripura cannot ensure the availability of organic seeds, achieving a balance between food security and sustainable farming will remain difficult,” they said