The near-normal forecast of monsoon has brought smiles back on the face of seed producers, particularly cottonseed. After facing the wrath of nature last year, the seed industry expects normal seed production.

“We are positive and optimistic. We generally plan a year ahead for seed production. This forecast augurs well for us,” Dr Usha Barwale Zehr, Chief Technology Officer of Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company, told Business Line .

Notwithstanding acute labour shortage and skyrocketing cost of production, the industry feels that good monsoon would mean increased recharge of groundwater that is required for the rabi season. It would help companies and seed-producing farmers go for larger acreage for seed production. Seed industry depends on kharif for production of cottonseed, groundnut and part-production of paddy seed.

Mr P. Satish Kumar, President of Seedsmen Association, said good rains would help the cotton industry. “Three bouts of rains and floods have adversely impacted cottonseed production in the State. Every year, the industry starts off the season with a buffer of at least 30 per cent. This year, we are going to consume all that buffer because of a drop in production,” he said.

The industry estimated a shortfall of 45-50 lakh packets this year. Against the demand for 3.8-4 crore packets, only 3.4 crore packets were supllied even after consuming the left-over stocks. Untimely rains had resulted in sharp decrease in germination capacities as well.

“With the demand growing for commercial cotton keeping in view high prices, we anticipate further increase in demand next year. Though normal monsoon could give us good seed output, we are not going to have any buffer next season,” he said.

“The normal monsoon will be good for the seed industry. The shift in acreage to cotton from many field crops like maize and jowar is an issue of concern. The monsoon forecast supports the increase in acreage under cotton during the current year in regions like Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka due to remunerative returns,” Mr Aurobinda Prasad, Head of Research at Karvy Comtrade, observed.

“The scenario is expected to be different in Andhra Pradesh where the farmers are more interested in chilli than cotton to avert the risks of crop damage due to increase in the rainfalls, as chilli is a transplanted crop. The sowing prospects in pulses are expected to remain slightly higher than the last year owing to the higher minimum support prices for the pulses,” he said.

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