Federation of Seed Industry of India

Annual Report 2019-2020

@FSII_India @india.fsii
@AllianceAgri @AgriInnovation.india
We are privileged to present the Federation of Seed industry of India annual report for the year
2019-20. The year included a lot of positive interactions with the regulators and policy makers
on various aspects of agricultural business policy. Many improvements and changes were set
into motion with the new Seed bill 2019, that was thoroughly discussed and debated. Other
policies that were discussed and consulted upon include, policies on germplasm access, digital
sequence information, gene editing regulation and GM import regulations. The federation got
the opportunity to participate in various national and international events (APSA, APAARI, ISF)
and put forward the Indian seed industry point of view.

We had meetings and shared our position and inputs with Union and State ministers of
Agriculture, and the offices of Secretary Agriculture and Joint Secretary Seeds in Agricultural
ministry. We also interacted with Chairperson of NBA, PPVFRA, FSSAI, GEAC and presented our
case regarding various industry related issues.

The federation took up aggressive outreach via social media as well as print media. Farming
and industry related issues were taken up in social media posts and both technology and
industry point of view was conveyed in print media publications. Other than the monthly
newsletter, through which we share the latest happenings with multiple stakeholders, we
initiated other campaigns. One of them had farmers sharing views and issues, another had
seed industry employees talking about their motivations and also a women’s day video with
our member employees talking about their journey. These got a positive response from our
members and also on media platforms. We also initiated interviews of industry leaders and
eminent academicians sharing their views on status of agriculture in India.

Multiple outreach events were organized in collaboration with other associations or

Universities to create awareness and provide a platform for open discussion on issues like GMO
acceptance, gene editing, Fall armyworm issue and germplasm access.

The federation worked proactively with the government at the centre as well as in States to
manage the nation-wide lockdown, so that agricultural operations went on smoothly and
farmers received the seeds for sowing in right time. There were multiple representations made
to the authorities along with virtual meetings to smoothen out the process and any glitches
faced by various member companies in different states and regions. These efforts were
continued in various phases of the lockdown. A separate report is attached for the said period.
Overall a challenging and yet positive year for the federation as we worked closely with our
members to bring out various issues at the forefront and engage in multi-stakeholder
interactions. We present to you the various glimpses of our initiatives through this report.
April 2019
AAI participated in the Pan-Asia Farmers Exchange Program in Manila, The Philippines. Our
delegation included 2 progressive farmers and 2 media persons who were interested in the
field of agriculture. The five-day tour included visits to farmer’s fields, seed packaging plants
and IRRI research fields. Multiple presentations on various aspects of the agricultural
technology were made and these led to interactions and discussions amongst the participants
from various countries of the region.

Two articles appeared post the Farmer Exchange tour.

Advocacy and Outreach-

FSII wrote to Joint Secretary-Seeds and DGFT with a Request to Remove Hybrid Rice Seeds
from Restricted Export Category (Chapter 10 of Schedule- 2 of ITC (HS) Classification of Export
& Import Items). We also approached CM of Punjab regarding the sale of TL-Hybrid rice seeds
in the state.

FSII also connected with PPVFRA regarding second year hybrid seed production for DUS
testing and the notice on “Plant breeder rights”.

FSII also wrote to Union Minister of Agriculture on seed import duty for Watermelon and
musk melon seed import.

AAI wrote to DDG-Crop science to reconsider yield and Bt protein expression requirements
for advancement of Bt cotton hybrids.
May 2019
Advocacy and Outreach-
FSII also approached Joint Secretary-Seeds regarding compulsory treatment of seeds for the
control of Fall Army worm (FAW). FSII submitted comments on draft guidelines on Access to
Biological Resources and Associated Knowledge and Equitable sharing to NBA and Ministry of
Environment. FSII put in the request for inclusion of vegetables Seeds in the Appendix 3B of
MEIS export policy and for amending schedule -2 for better clarity.

In continuation of our discussion with DDG-Crop Science on Bt protein expression

requirements for advancement of Bt cotton hybrids, AAI proposed that protein expression
studies may be conducted in different labs.

AAI connected with FSSAI to discuss the impact of delay in formulation of GM Food import
regulations and requested the authority to expedite the process.

June 2019
Advocacy and Outreach-
AAI approached Agriculture Commissioner regarding cotton industry issues related to Bt
protein expression requirements for advancement of Bt cotton hybrids and challenges in
complying with the Refuge in Bag (RIB) in Bt cotton standards as per Government notification.

July 2019
FSII promoted the Asian Solanaceous Round Table that was held in Bangalore through social
media and website. The event was held to discuss the latest market trends in the solanaceous
crops.
Dr Shivendra Bajaj participated at the 3rd Annual AgriBiotech India Summit 2019 and spoke
on the regulatory scenario of Biotechnology on India and its role in managing water scarcity.
FSII delegation also met the Hon'ble Minister of State for Agriculture, Farmers' Welfare and
Panchayati Raj, Shri Parshottam Rupala to discuss the challenges faced by farmers and role of
technology in increasing farm productivity and income.
Mr Ram Kaundinya’s article on the misses and expectations of the agri industry from the
Union Budget was covered in The Hindu Business Line.
Through Alliance for Agri Innovation we kept talking about positive stories on GM and other
technologies which saw good engagement from our readers.
Advocacy and Outreach-
AAI wrote to PM of India requesting approval of cultivation of genetically modified crops in
India.

FSII presented Union Minister of State for Agriculture with five-point programme to mitigate
agricultural distress. FSII also approached multiple agencies including Union Minister of
Agriculture, Niti Ayog, Chief Minister of Maharashtra and Convenor of committee, CMs of
Haryana, Karnataka, MP, UP, Gujarat and Arunachal Pradesh to request for seed industry’s
representation to the “High powered committee of Chief Ministers for Transformation of
Indian agriculture”.

August 2019
Event: FSII collaborated with University of Hyderabad and Research and Innovation Circle of
Hyderabad (RICH) to discuss the advancement of GM in India
Topic: Current scenario and path forward for GM crops in India
Objective: To deliberate on GM crisis & advancing the technology in India
The event was held in Hyderabad, India and was attended by Dr Dayanand, Dean of the School
of Lifesciences, University of Hyderabad (UoH); Dr S R Rao, Regulatory Expert of
Biotechnology; Dr Rakesh K Mishra, Director, Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB),
representatives from FSII, farmer representative from Shetkari Sanghatana, other farmer
organisations, scientists, industry, government officials, students and other stakeholders. The
event saw large participation and was attended by over 200 people.
One-on-one interaction of Mr Kaundinya, DG, FSII with media was conducted a day prior to
the event to highlight the concern over the technology. The event was also widely covered in
the media and major publications like Andhrajyoti, Sakshi, Surya, The Times of India, Business
Standard and The Hindu Business Line.
Blogs
The following blogs and LinkedIn blogs were published in the month of August 2019 - Ensuring
sustainable future of food which focused on various ways to improve crop productivity
through technological interventions and innovations. Direct Seeded Rice for efficient rice
production and growing nutritional crops which are adaptive to climate change.

Advocacy and Outreach-

FSII wrote to Principal Secretary – Agriculture, Andhra Pradesh to share industry views
regarding establishment of Integrated Agri Testing Labs and Proposed MOU with seed
companies.
AAI met officials at DBT and GEAC to discuss the various issues and regulations pending with
the said authorities. DBT organized an Interactive session on Institutional Biosafety
Knowledge Portal (IBKP) upon AAI request, to address the various issues faced by our
members.

September 2019
Event: FSII urges adoption of hybrid rice to increase rice productivity
Topic: Seed Technology Innovation for Sustainable Rice Production
Objective: To discuss ways to enhance rice productivity sustainably and improve farmers
profitability in India
The event was held in New Delhi and was attended by Hon’ble Union Minister of State for
Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare, Shri Kailash Choudhary; Dr Prem Kumar, Hon’ble Minister
of Agriculture, Government of Bihar; Dr SK Malhotra, Agriculture Commissioner, Government
of India and Mr VK Gaur, Chairman & Managing Director, National Seed Corporation. The
event saw participation of more than 150 individuals who represented senior government
officials, farmer organizations, scientists and industry representatives.
Deliberations at the seminar brought forward the need for long-term research investments
in bringing more productive hybrids with improved grain characters, strengthen seed
production systems by geographic diversification and take up more intensive promotion of
hybrid in new areas through PPP mode.
The event was widely covered in the media and major publications like Business Standard,
Punjab Tribune, Punjab Kesari, Pioneer, Rashtriya Sahara, Dainik Bhaskar, Delhi News, Daily
Hunt, ANI, UNI etc.

The event was widely covered in the social media through real time tweeting and tagging the
Central and State Governments by bringing their focus to the subject. The speakers and guests
were also tagged to receive more traction.
To leverage the event, FSII developed a white paper on the challenges and solutions that were
deliberated during the event, a LinkedIn blog and a blog for the website were also developed
and cross promoted through social media.

Blogs
The following topics were focussed on blogs and LinkedIn blogs – Managing food wastage
through multidisciplinary approach, Drones & AI – for transforming and facilitate and Zero
hunger – prepping for mission 2030.
Seed World 2019
Topic: Enabling regulatory environment for International movement of seeds
Objective: To discuss and develop a strategic plan for seed sector advancement
The Indian Council of Food & Agriculture (ICFA) jointly organised the event with FSII,
International Seed Federation and National Seed Association of India in Bangalore. Mr Ram
Kaundinya represented FSII at the event and spoke about encouraging more R&D investments
by seed companies to fight climate change and tackle malnutrition. He also emphasised on
ensuring IP protection and creating a predictable regulatory environment

Advocacy and Outreach-

FSII took up the matter of truthful labelling and seed price control with Joint Secretary-Seeds

October 2019
Topic: Regional Expert Consultation on Gene Editing in Agriculture and its Implications on
Biosafety Regulation
Objective: To highlight the innovations through gene editing, the impact on the agricultural
sector, review status of global regulatory policies of gene editing and enable policies for plant
and animal breeding innovations.
The two-day event took place at ICRISAT, Hyderabad and was participated by over 500
individuals. Dr Renu Swarup, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology (DBT) was the Chief
Guest at the event. Further, 64 participants from 21 countries (Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan,
China, Fiji, India, Iran, Italy, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea,
Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, USA, Vietnam) participated in the
meeting. The participants included senior officials, researchers from National Agricultural
Research Systems (NARS), Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research (CGIAR)
Centres, experts on biotechnology, representatives of research institutions, donors, private
sector and NGOs. Representative from FSII also participated and presented views of seed
industry on gene-editing and urged that too much regulations will have an impact on the seed
movement and trade. Therefore, a science based consistent regulatory policy environment is
required to gain confidence of farmers and consumers. The key recommendations that
emerged from the 2-day deliberations and the discussions were that the genetic variation in
the final product should not be regulated when-it does not contain a novel combination of
genetic material, the final plant product contains genetic material from sexually compatible
plant species or any form of mutagenesis is involved. This will ensure that agricultural
innovation can proceed unhindered for the benefit of the farmers and the society.
FSII live tweeted the event for two days and over 60 tweets were put out by tagging
participants and respective organisations.
International Day of Rural Women
FSII celebrated International Day of Rural Women by involving members to share experience
of women farmers who have turned entrepreneurs and are running their families,
encouraging more farmers to adopt new and innovative methods, imparting knowledge to
fellow farmers etc. A video of a women farmer was also shared to showcase the tremendous
change that she has brought in her life. Thoughts of FSII’s Executive Director was also shared
as a quote in the social media. The posts showed participation from various stakeholders and
saw engagements.

A blog was also written to show the gender-gap that still persist in the agrarian society and
how it can be bridged.
Blogs
Write ups on technologies such as GM, gene-editing, CRISPR have been part of blogs put out
by the leadership and the organisation. Awareness and benefits of these technologies are
presented at the forefront through our social media platforms. The focus has been on small

scale farmers, equipping them with right knowledge and technologies for their benefit.
Research papers by agri experts on these technologies are also highlighted through articles,
blogs, websites and social media. LinkedIn blogs focused on stubble burning, steps that should
be adopted to boost exports, streamlining agri credit infrastructure were some of the issues
on which the blogs were written and subsequently published.
Advocacy and Outreach-
FSII took part in stakeholder meeting on Seed bill 2019 and submitted their recommendations
to Union Minister, Ministers of State and JS-Seeds
AAI submitted comments and suggestion on the draft GM food import regulations to CEO-
FSSAI and met with Advisor-FSSAI regarding the same
FSII took part in meetings organized by the Ministry of Agriculture to develop India’s position
in the ITPGRFA meeting to be held in Rome in November, 2019
Participation in International Seed Federation mid-year meeting in Amman, Jordan – Dr
Shivendra Bajaj participated in the ISF mid-year technical meetings held in Amman, Jordan
from October 19-23 and update the members on Plant Breeding Innovation and Sustainable
Agriculture Committee. He also represented FSII in ISF National Seed Association meeting.
November 2019
FSII celebrated World Science Day with creatives, blogs and LinkedIn blogs focused on drones,
AI, sustainable techniques to produce plants such as hydroponics, importance of soil to grow
quality food and articles focused on food wastage.
FSII leadership also spoke to the media to oppose the price control under the proposed Seed
Bill, emphasising that price control will result in scale back of research investment.
Shivendra Bajaj also participated at the 8th session of Governing Body of the International
Treaty on Plant Genetics Resources for Food and Agriculture held at Rome.
Shivendra Bajaj also represented FSII in Asian Seed Congress organized by Asia Pacific Seed
Association held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Shivendra was the invited speaker in the technical
session on Access and Benefit Sharing and updated India’s developments on this topic.
Shivendra also made a presentation in the National Seed Association meeting in the Asian
Seed Congress. He was also the winner of the 3.2 Km fun run organized by APSA during the
seed congress.
Advocacy and Outreach-
AAI connected with JS and Vice chairperson GEAC regarding various pending guidelines.

December 2019
The year ended with a positive note where FSII was widely covered through articles written
on various topic such as Conservation Agriculture and various ways for farming in future. The
article got covered in Dainik Bhaskar, Pioneer, Dainik Savera, Andhra Prabha, Prajapaksha,
Surya, The Hans India, Vaartha and Agrospectrum.
While celebrating World Soil Day, various blogs and LinkedIn blogs were also written around
Hydroponics, Aeroponics, how food is grown in space, determining the quality of harvest
through soil, driving exports to double farmer’s income and the trends that will be picked up
in Agriculture in 2020.
Advocacy and Outreach-
FSII submitted a letter to Secretary Agriculture and JS- Seeds regarding Potential Challenges
in complying with the Refugia in Bag (RIB) in Bt Cotton. Also, letters were submitted to
Chairman-NBA detailing the issues to be discussed during brain storming session on Access
and benefit sharing Mechanism for seed sector
In a major achievement, the National Biodiversity Authority agreed to FSII request and
organized a stakeholder meeting with seed industry on the issues faced by the industry.
Shivendra Bajaj made the presentation on behalf of FSII.

January 2020
The United Nations declared the year 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH)
and FSII took the opportunity to engage. A yearlong campaign was planned for awareness and
education of our stakeholders in this subject. Therefore, content was created around it.
FSII also issued a press release urging Government of India to restore the 200% income tax
deduction (under the section 35 (2AB) of the Income Tax Act, 1961) for the in-house Research
and Development (R&D) expenditure in seed industry in the upcoming Union Budget. Further,
it has also been highlighted that India too has a well-developed seed industry, varied agro
climatic conditions, seed production expertise and the necessary infrastructure which can
make India a global seed export hub. The story was carried widely and appeared in The Hindu
Business Line, Outlook India, Business Insider, The Financial Express, UNI etc
Industry Meetings: Dr Shivendra Bajaj participated in the Industry meeting organized by
Croplife International held Washington DC and presented India’s situation on biotech.
Shivendra also met with representatives of American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) and
discussed mutual collaborations. As a result of these meetings ASTA agreed to fund the
development of Plant Breeding Innovation videos in Indian languages
Advocacy and Outreach-
FSII met with Union Minister, Minister of State and Secretary Agriculture to submit
recommendations for the upcoming Union Budget for the growth of Indian seed sector. We
also connected with JS-Seeds requesting for convening the meeting of the committee under
the cotton seeds price (control) order, 2015 to recommend the maximum sale price of Bt
cotton seed for the year 2020 and uniform sampling procedures for testing Bt protein in
Refugia in Bag (RIB) for cotton hybrid seed.

February 2020
Banaras Hindu University Event
Topic: GM Crop Biosafety Evaluation and Challenges with Focus on Farmer's Livelihood
Objective: Re-initiate discussion on access to good quality seed including GM crops
An extempore competition was held where 11 participants were shortlisted for the final
competition. Students actively participated in the competition and came forward to share
their views on the topic. The research scholars from the Genetics & Plant Breeding (GPB)
stream spoke about the cultivation of GM crops and urged to use the potential in utilizing the
Genetic Engineering technology to harvest better products. Some participants also focused
on the need of the development of GM crops so as to meet the food requirement of the ever-
increasing population. They also discussed about the Bt cotton cultivation by farmers the ill-
effects caused by it, the genetic pollution and the hazardous effect to animals and human.
The limitation of conventional breeding was also explained as one of the reason behind
development of GM crops.The climate change as a major challenge was also put forth by the
students and they supported the notion that growing of GM crops assures desirable yield to
the farmers in this situation. Some students discussed about the myths and the lack of
awareness regarding GM crops cultivation in our society.
The Hindu Business Line Summit
Topic: Re-Imagining India’s Agriculture
Objective: To analyse the issues confronting the agriculture sector, map out the complexities
of the problem, chart out strategies and discuss the necessary policy interventions to provide
way
ahead for farmer-producers and industry partners.
From FSII, Mr Ram Kaundinya, Director General, participated in a panel discussion on
Balancing farm productivity & sustainable agriculture. The other panellists who were part of
the discussion were Mr Nasim Ali, CEO, Plantations Business, GodrejAgrovet; Mr GV
Ramanjaneyulu, ED, Centre for Sustainable Agriculture; Mr John Mathews, President-
Marketing, T Stanes and Mr Simon Wiebusch, COO, Bayer.
Stakeholder Dialogue organised jointly by Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences
(TAAS) and Indian Society of Seed Technology (ISST).
Topic: Stakeholder’s dialogue on Way Forward for the Indian Seed Sector
Objective: To discuss major constraints and find possible solutions for faster growth of Indian
seed sector, seek views of different stakeholders on the revised draft “Seed Bill 2019”, suggest
measures to strengthen seed health and seed quality assurance system in the country, and
review options of promoting seed export from India.
Dr M Ramasami, Chairman, FSII spoke about private sector’s contribution in the seed industry
and Mr Ram Kaundinya, Director General, FSII presented his view on the regulatory reforms
for growth of Indian seed sector.

Topic: International Conference on Pulse as the Climate Change Crops: Challenges and
Opportunities at Bhopal, India
Objective: To address long-term sustainability of global agricultural production system
through diversification/intensification of crop/farming systems with pulses through an eco-
friendly approach. To address the critical gaps in understanding the production constraints,
issues of eradication of protein malnutrition for food deprived people, application of modern
genetic tools and biotechnological interventions for pulses improvement and in-depth insight
for underline principles of adaptation of pulses to diverse climatic condition. Policy issue, PPP,
ICT and social networking including the need for critical support systems were also addressed.
FSII was a co-sponsor of the event and was represented by Dr Shivendra Bajaj.

FSII’s Reaction on budget and review of cotton seed price

Advocacy and Outreach-
FSII continued with its efforts for early fixing of cotton seed price with JS-Seeds and also took
up the query on the dimensions of the Truthful Label on the Seeds Container/package-
Specifications for the size, contents, colour, mark or label to be affixed on the Seeds
Container.
FSII also write to Advisor and Director Plant protection requesting for declaration of ‘Country
free from specified pathogens’ for ToBRFV and four pospiviriods as quarantine requirement
for export of Tomato and Capsicum seed to USA and EU.
FSII participated in Industry Consultation on Digital Sequence Information organized by NBA
and submitted FSII and international positions on ABS. A letter was also submitted to
Secretary NBA on implementation of BDA.
AAI submitted comments for the Draft regulations for Gene editing in agriculture.

March 2020
FSII engaged with members and run a weeklong campaign on International Women’s Day to
showcase how women are contributing to the seed industry which is predominantly
dominated by men.
With lockdown imposed across the country due to Covid-19, FSII engaged with the
Government of India and respective state governments to free the restriction rules for the
movement of agri inputs. The news was widely covered and got published in The Financial
Express, The Economic Times, Business Standard, The Hindu Business Line, The Times of India,
Nav Bharat, Pune Express, Dainik Adhikar, Dainik Bhor, Dainik Navjyoti, Rajasthan Patrika,
Andhra Prabha, Prajashakti, Sakshi etc
Advocacy and Outreach-
FSII wrote to DG-ICAR regarding collaboration between seed industry and ICAR.
AAI participated in stakeholder meeting organized by DBT on draft guidelines on gene editing
for agriculture, where we reiterated our position.
AAI also connected with DBT regarding the guidelines for stacked GM events.
Post lockdown FSII actively connected with Union minister for Agriculture and Union minister
for Health regarding the continuation of seed movement and agricultural operations. Similar
requests were sent to JS seeds too. To smoothen the seed import for R & D purposes during
lockdown, we connected with NBPGR.
FSII also reached out to DPIIT control room for support for smooth seed movement and
operations. We also write to Special Secretary-Agriculture for banking services to support
agricultural operations during lockdown.

April 2020
FSII participated in the International Campaign run by CropLife Asia to celebrate the Food
Security Frontliners in Covid19. Mr Ravichnadran and Mr Ganesh Nanote were shortlisted and
featured as the two farm heroes from India.
Other media opportunities included an interview of Dr Shivendra Bajaj with Seed World and
Mr Ram Kaundinya with Agriculture Today. A press release was also issued to showcase the
contribution by FSII members towards Covid 19 relief measures. It was widely covered in
media and was published by Deshbandhu, Sanjivani, Vir Arjun, Samyuktha Karnataka, Sanje
prabha, Trinity Mirror, Southern Mail, News Today, Dina Bhoomi, The Times of India, Sakshi,
Vaartha, Andhra Prabha, Prajapaksham, Aadab Hyderabad etc.

Advocacy and Outreach-

FSII reached out to Union government for urgent policy support during the COVID pandemic
as well as smooth operations of seed businesses.
FSII connected with JS-Seeds via video conferencing to put forward our issues in various
aspects of the business and their impact. There was an independent connect on seed export
too.
We also connected with NBA, PPVFRA, NBPGR, multiple ICAR institutes, GEAC and JS-Seeds
on Digital Sequence Information and continuing Public-Private Partnerships within the seed
sector.

May 2020
FSII welcomed the new initiatives on agri market reforms, price and quality assurance and the
reaction was widely covered in the media. Mr Ram Kaundinya’s one-on-one interview was
conducted with The Economic Times and his article on new crop plan policy by Government
of Telangana, Time for Mechanisation and automation and on long awaited agricultural
reforms were also published. Dr Shivendra Bajaj’s article on Need for GM crops in India and
Need for Innovative Technology in agriculture were also published. An article on Growing
quality food & Meeting nutritional requirements through Urban Agriculture were co-
authored by Dr Ratna Kumria and Dr Shivendra Bajaj.
Further, Mr Ram Kaundinya also moderated a webinar on Approaches and strategies to
support Vegetable Farming Post Covid 19 organised by FICCI.
Dr Shivendra Bajaj joined experts from Asia Pacific countries to discuss Impact of Covid 19 on
seed trade, a webinar organised by The Asia and Pacific Seed Association (APSA) and made a
presentation about India’s situation.
Advocacy and Outreach-
FSII reached out to JS-Seeds regarding Seed export /import activities impacted by COVID 19
lockdown as well as to NBPGR on R & D related seed import.
FSII connected with Additional Director and Special Commissioner agriculture in AP regarding
Seed Control Order (1985) – Issuing stop sales for premium hybrid Chilli seeds - positioned at
Private Dealer Outlets in the district of Guntur.
AAI wrote to GEAC chairperson to expedite the formulation of regulations for GM feed
import, similarly we connected with Chairperson FSSAI regarding the GM food import
regulations that are pending with the authority.

June 2020
The month was filled with interviews and articles of the leadership in the media. The topics
that were covered were – preparation of Kharif sowing, Importance of pulses, Importance of
plant architecture for sustainable agriculture, India need oilseeds mission, Rural
entrepreneurship through agriculture, Skill development in agriculture for a self-reliant India
and Covid 19 crisis an opportunity to upgrade agriculture sector.
FSII also started an interview section called ‘Thoughts & Views’ to capture the views of experts
in the agriculture sector. We started the section with the interview of Dr Siang Hee TAN,
Executive Director, CropLife Asia.
Advocacy and Outreach-
FSII wrote to Chairperson PPVFRA seeking extension in filing of applications due to Covid-19
pandemic.
FSII wrote to Secretary Agriculture regarding FDI and seeking support for agricultural
research. We also reached out regarding farmer’s agreement on price assurance and farm
services ordinance 2020.
AAI organized a video conference with RCGM regarding issues related to IBKP. We also
requested CEO-FSSAI to look into the pending GM oil import applications.

July 2020
The month was filled with interviews and articles of the leadership in the media. The topics
that were covered – New business opportunities for Investors in Agriculture, Condusive
regulation for adoption of new plant breeding technologies, GMO crops are safe and
nutritious and India needs to feed its population, R&D is the way forward for a robust
agriculture sector and India can become a hub for seed exports.
A press release was also issued from AAI to celebrates 25 years of growing GMO crops globally
which was widely covered in the media. Apart from this, through social media, AAI has been
posting positive stories around GM technologies on regular intervals. Resulting, the
prestigious Genetic Literacy Project published Dr Shivendra Baja’s article on GMOs safety and
why India needs to adopt it.
Mr Ram Kaundinya was a speaker at the webinar conducted by International Consortium on
Applied Bioeconomy (ICABR) on Regulation of Biotechnology in Livestock and Plants. A
webinar on ‘Do India’s Agri-Reforms Unleash New Opportunities?’ was moderated by Mr Ram
Kaundinya.
In the interview section on ‘Thoughts & Views’. FSII covered Mr S Nagarajan, COO, Rallis India
Ltd.
Advocacy and Outreach-
FSII connected with Chairman NBA on legislative and operational issues related to the seed
industry. We also wrote to JS- Seeds on various industry issues.
AAI was invited to 20th meeting of scientific panel on GMO & Foods, which was attended by
CEO-FSSAI to present our case of pending oil import applications. The CEO agreed to request
GEAC to take up the applications till FSSAI was ready with the GM food import regulations.
AAI also submitted recommendations to address the illegal planting of HTBT cotton to
Secretary Agriculture.

August 2020
The month started with a press release urging Government of India and respective State
Governments to allow Bt Brinjal Field Trials in India. It was widely covered in media – The
Print, Agriculture Today, BioVoice, Agriculture Post, Dainik Bhaskar, Nav Bharat etc
Further, articles by leadership on Safety and regulation of GM crops in India, To Bt or Not to
Bt – does this question persist anymore, Biologicals in Agriculture, Abrupt Ban of 4 Seed
chemicals could spell doom and Transforming vegetable sector were published.
FSII also shared reaction on the Unsolicited seeds that were received through parcel in US and
other countries. Our reaction was widely covered through The Times of India, The Financial
Express, Deccan Herald, Business Today, NavBharat Times, Prabhat Khabar and Mr Kaundinya
was interviewed by CNBC Awaz and CNBC TV 18.
FSII also ran a campaign on Independence Day by involving member companies to nominate
their employees who are from farming background and are making a difference in the seed
industry. An overwhelming response was received by FSII and the social media posts gathered
a lot of traction. A special video was also developed by FSII for farmers on Independence Day
by urging consumers to accept and give the farers the freedom to adopt technologies for their
filed and help to elevate their socio-economic status in the society.
Mr Ram Kaundinya joined agri experts to discuss the Implementation of Access to Plant
Genetic Resources and Benefit Sharing (ABS) in agriculture. The webinar was organised by
Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, ICAR-NBPGR, Indian Society of Plant Genetic
Resources (ISPGR), National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), Protection of Plant Variety and
Farmers’ Right Authority (PPV&FRA) and Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences
(TAAS).
In the section ‘Thoughts & Views’ FSII covered Dr S. Rajendra Prasad, Vice-Chancellor,
University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore.
Advocacy and Outreach-
FSII connected with government regarding the possibility of online submissions of
applications to Central Variety Release Committee (CVRC).
AAI wrote in support of allowing trials to Union Minister for Agriculture, Agricultural
Secretary, Chief Ministers and Agricultural secretaries of 8 states for which GEAC had granted
Bt Brinjal trial approval.
AAI also re-submitted the comments on draft regulations on GM food import to FSSAI. An
update of the IBKP issues was also submitted to RCGM.
AAI wrote to Chairman-FSSAI, CEO-FSSAI, Chairman CEBC, DG DGFT regarding the FSSAI order
on requirements of Non-GM cum GM certificate accompanied with imported food
consignments.

AAI has collaborated with CLA and APAARI on - Outreach and communication strategy for
Gene Editing acceptance in India
Gene editing focused social media outreach efforts are being made to create awareness
regarding the technology, benefits, potential and regulation has been taken up.
Newsletters
Seed Connect – FSII Newsletter
Agri Innovation Post – AAI Newsletter
Additional Activities
CSR Booklet

Website Development
Video Development – Plant Breeding Innovation
AAI collaborated with ASTA to develop Plant breeding Innovations videos for the Indian
audience in multiple languages (English, Hindi, Marathi and Telugu). These were posted on
our YouTube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9jvkxygdxM&t=52s

FSII Video development – Understanding GMOs

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