Rasi Seeds sets up R&D facility for hybrids

Chennai: After popularising Bt cotton, Attur-based Rasi Seeds is gearing up to develop hybrid seed varieties for other major cash crops like maize, paddy, wheat, bajra, sunflower and vegetables. Towards this, the company has commissioned a new biotech and plant breeding research facility with an investment of Rs 10 crore.

A release from the company said this was the first-of-its-kind facility in India to be set up in a rural area. It would develop multi-crop varieties and hybrids that would benefit the farmers of Punjab and Haryana. The facility will house 150 agricultural scientists.

“The new centre will focus more on the research activities for the development of multi-crop varieties and hybrids in crops and the company will henceforth transform itself into a multi-crop company,” M Ramasami, managing director, said.

Rasi Seeds has released 25 high yielding Bollgard cotton hybrids. It commands a market share of 25 per cent, which is equivalent to 5 million packets out of the total 20 million packets of the seeds produced and distributed in the country.

The produce of Rasi Seeds is used by farmers in the cotton growing belts of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu covering over 5 million acres, the release said.