IIHR portal sows seeds of veggie revolution in Northeast

A view of the online seed portal of IIHR integrated with the SBI Yono app for easy booking and delivery of quality seeds to customers and farmers.

Seeds produced by farmers in and around Bengaluru and processed at Bengaluru’s Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Hessaraghatta in the Arkavathi catchment area, have paved way for large-scale vegetable cultivation in the seven Northeast states.

Helping farmers in the remote Northeastern states take up vegetable farming in harsh agro-climatic conditions, IIHR’s Seed Portal (seed.iihr.res.in) — an online platform that delivers quality seed materials at the farmers’ doorsteps — has made horticulture in the hilly terrain profitable. The high-quality germination guaranteed seeds under the brand name ‘Arka’ are most sought after.

Launched during the Covid-19 lockdown, the seed portal has already sold Rs 60 lakh worth seeds of over 60 different varieties of 20 vegetables and an equal number of flowers. Dr M R Dinesh, Director, IIHR, told DH that the institute annually sells about 20 tonnes of seeds and plans to scale it up to 40 to 50 tonnes. “While farmers from 26 states have been buying seeds from us, Northeastern states have been the largest buyers of vegetable seeds due to the large-scale organic cultivation of vegetables in the region.”

Elaborating, Dr Dinesh said, “Arka seeds are disease-resistant and exhibit a high tolerance to varied agro-climatic conditions. We have entered into an agreement with farmers in and around Bengaluru to buy seeds. The seeds are tested and processed by scientists before being passed on to farmers.”

S Thippeswamy, chief technical officer at IIHR, said, “Around 33,000 farmers have registered on the portal. Of these, about 30 to 35% are from the Northeast.” Scientists said there has been a demand for varieties of tomato, onion, capsicum, chilli and creepers.

“Around 80 kg of seeds of Arka Prasanna ridge gourd were sold in less than five hours. People from anywhere in India can order on SBI’s Yono app which is linked to the portal,” he said. The portal is a big hit among urban gardeners.