In a major development aimed at strengthening India’s seed innovation ecosystem, Bharatiya Beej Sahakari Samiti Limited (BBSSL), Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) have signed a tripartite agreement to establish a state-of-the-art Seed Research and Development Facility at IFFCO’s Kalol unit in Gujarat.
As per the agreement, IFFCO will take the lead in setting up the infrastructure for the facility, ICRISAT will act as the Knowledge Partner, while BBSSL will oversee the operational management of the centre.
The agreement was signed in the esteemed presence of Dr. Himanshu Pathak, Director General, ICRISAT; Sanjay Agrawal, IAS (Retd.), Additional Director General, ICRISAT; Yogendra Kumar, Chairman, BBSSL and Director (Marketing), IFFCO; and Chetan Joshi, Managing Director, BBSSL.
This strategic collaboration is expected to give a significant boost to seed research, particularly in developing climate-resilient and high-yielding crop varieties to benefit Indian farmers.