For the first time a private seed corporate company in Sri Lanka, CIC Seeds (Pvt) Ltd, after intensive research with an American company has developed and launched 5 new varieties of hybrid vegetable seeds locally from their seed farm, Pelwehera, Dambulla.
This is in a bid to increase productivity in the local agro sector and minimize the FOREX drain for the importation of hybrid vegetable seed varieties. A fully owned subsidiary of CIC Agribusiness invested over Rs. 250 million for this project over a period for around three years.
“Sri Lankan seed industry is lagging and today the country imports almost all its hybrid seed requirements, spending over USD 25 million per annum,”said Managing Director CICAgri Cluster Waruna Madawanarachchi.
“Due to numerous constraints faced in meeting the increased demand for quality seed by the farmers, the government offered several incentives to get the private sector involved in the local seed industry.”
CIC Seeds is the first corporate entity in the country to take up this challenge and to invest in the local seed production with the technical collaboration of the Department of Agriculture (DOA).
“We will now launch five new vegetable hybrids: two from Chile, one each from Okra, Capsicum and Brinjal to the local market soon. Later we will look at exports as well as they are now submitted for formal government approval. These are now being cultivated at our R&D complex at Dambulla.”
These products will help to increase yields by a great extent. The seed industry in the world has rapidly developed in the last two to three decades with the advancements in gene technologies. CIC has also successfully negotiated with a Thai seed company to get the production rights (IP rights) of a promising corn hybrid.
This product is now being tested in large scale in farm fields and the company intends to commence commercial seed production soon. CIC Seeds intends to further invest in the local hybrid seed production with a view to make available hybrid seed to local farmers at an affordable price.
Senior Research consultant, Wasantha Chithral said that several years ago, Sri Lankans had offered technology towards Bangladesh Agro modernization. “While Sri Lanka stagnated, Bangladesh progressed and today we are buying hybrid seeds from them.”
He also said CIC has also produced high yielding maize to produce animal feed and this will help to reduce animal feed prices with the end result being lower prices of poultry products. In addition the used maize tree can also be used for animal feed.”
Shirajiv Sirimane