Kaushal Kumar Poudel1 , Kamal Raj Gaire2 , Durga Adhikari3
1 KUBK, Rupandehi
2 PMAMP, PIU, Kavrepalanchok
3 SEAN, Kathmandu
Corresponding Author's e-mail: kaushalpdl@gmail.com
Abstract
Quality seeds are of vital importance for increasing productivity of vegetable crops. In Nepal, varietal development, source seed management and seed quality control are done largely by the government sector whereas seed production and marketing is done mostly by the private sector. The comparative advantages bestowed by Nepal’s agro-climatic diversity, huge gap in internal demand(1745 Mt) and production(475 Mt) of seed, 'high value low volume' nature of seed business to explore remote pockets and availability of cheap labour provide meaningful prospects of vegetable seed business in Nepal. Despite such prospects and policy/legal backing, vegetable seed production in the country is far behind to meet the demand. Most of vegetable seed requirement in Nepal is met by import. Important and mandatory chain of breeders’, foundation and improved seed is found to be detached and there is a weak enforcement of seed quality control mechanism in vegetable seed system in Nepal . Development of competitive and demand oriented varieties is negligible and the state of seed production and marketing infrastructure is poor. A concerted effort by the stakeholders is urgently required to improve vegetable seed sector in Nepal. An emphasis on varietal development, easy access to quality source seed, and investment in seed production and marketing infrastructure is required to revitalize Nepal’s vegetable seed sector. Devising sound mechanism of technology dissemination and quality control is crucial especially when the nation is in a federal system. An institutionalization of harmonized buy-back system could be a starting point for a self-sustaining vegetable seed marketing system in Nepal.
Keywords: Vegetable Seed, Comparative Advantages, Buy-back, Marketing.