Work with the states to set up seed culture labs in each district and regional agriculture innovation labs to conserve agro-biodiversity and to identify and preserve rare indigenous varieties

India has 640 districts and therefore 640 seed culture labs were promised to be set up in each district. In addition, regional agriculture innovation labs to conserve agro-biodiversity and to identify and preserve rare indigenous varieties were also promised.

According to this Economic Times report dated October 23, 2018, the Agriculture Ministry is planning to set up 583 seed testing labs in major towns and 6600 labs in block level rural areas. However, no mention of seed culture labs was found in the 2019-20 budget speech of Finance Minister in February 2019. No mention of this could be found in any budgetary related documents that can be accessed here. It is, therefore, not clear how the mere intent to set up these 7100 labs across country could be funded when the budgetary documents make no mention of them.

As of the same news report by Economic Times, the country has 130 seed testing labs.

On further research, an undated note from the website of Department of Agriculture Cooperation and Farmers’ Welfare mentions only 107 seed testing labs across the country. Another undated note from the same website  mentions of only 40 seed culture labs across the country.

It, however, could not be established by us as to how many of these existed before 26.05.2014 i.e. before Narendra Modi led government came to power.

The progress against this promise has been marked as “Inadequate Progress”