National Seeds Corporation and the State Farms Corporation of India

The DAC has two central Public Sector Undertakings, namely, the National Seeds Corporation and the State Farms Corporation of India.

National Seeds Corporation was established in 1963, under the control of the Ministry of Agriculture of Government of India. It undertakes production, processing and marketing of agricultural seeds. It’s product range include cereals, pulses, oilseed, fodder, fiber and vegetable crops. NSC is the pioneer in the development of India Seed Industry on scientific lines with its involvement in the formulation of seed certification standards. The Head Office is located at Delhi and there are 11 Regional Offices in the state capitals and over 80 area offices located throughout the country.

In 2008-09, the National Seeds Corporation earned a profit after tax of `26.54 crore as compared to `22.73 crore during 2007-2008, and declared a dividend of `1.85 crore @ 9% on the paid-up capital of the corporation. Sales of seeds by the National Seeds Corporation have increased to 9.96 lakh quintals in 2008-2009 from 8.15 lakh quintals in 2007-2008.

State Farms Corporation of India Limited (SFCI) was established in 1969. However, its genesis goes back to 1956 when first mechanized farm in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan was set up with the machinery gifted by erstwhile USSR. The State Farms Corporation of India has achieved a profit after tax of `9.77 crores in 2008-2009, as compared to `12.29 crore during 2007-2008. The dip in profit is due to a payment of `11.84 crore on account of implementation of revised pay scales in the corporation. Seed production has increased to 5.63 (estimated) lakh quintals in 2008-2009, as compared to 4.44 lakh quintal in 2007-2008.