Why onion seed production is attracting farmers

Rahee Natural Seeds, a private limited company based in Pimpode Khurd village in Koregaon taluka of Satara, has since 1990 brought about a small but significant change in which farmers produce seed as well as the methodology in which seed for the kitchen staple is produced. With an annual production of over 500 tonnes, Rahul Jadhav, CEO of the company, claimed they have enabled full traceability in the otherwise grey area of seed production. “Our customers can scan the QR code given on the box and find out where the seed was produced — this traceability is something which has helped spread our footprints beyond Maharashtra in a short span of time,” he said.

The story of Rahee Natural Seeds started in 1990, when Ramrao Jadhav, Rahul’s father, started production of seed on their farm in Pimpode Khurd. Ramrao had shifted to Pimpode to eke out a living as a tailor and till 2021, the company was known as Jadhav Tailor Farms. “My father experimented with seed production and in the first year he produced 40 kg. Nearby farmers used the seed and the results were exceptionally good, which prompted him to get into seed production,”he said.

Onion seeds are an open pollinated variety, i.e. farmers can collect and reuse seeds from their own crop. If grown for the bulb, the crop is harvested before the inflorescence (collection of small white flowers on the stalk) is formed. Seed production involves the crop being kept for six months while for bulb the crop duration is normally four months. Jadhav said around 50 per cent of the onion growers reuse their own seeds while others prefer to buy seeds everywhere. “The total onion seed market is valued at Rs 1,000 crore,” he said.

From selection of bulbs to selection of farmers who would produce the seed, Rahee Natural Seeds has used both their personal relation as well as technology. For seed production bulbs have to be of the best quality and companies normally buy them from the markets. “Over the years we have developed our breeder farmers in Pune who produce the bulb which we distribute to our growers. Each bulb is measured, tagged and then sent to the farmers,” he said. Bulbs which are selected for seed production are purchased at a premium from the farmers.

Farmers like Nawadkar receive the bulb as well as agri advice from the company. “Our farmers have an app on their phone which uses technology developed by Farmsetu, a full stack agritech company, to track their crops,” he said. Once a farmer is selected, employees of Rahee Seeds geotag the farm and make constant visits to ensure the crop is in the best possible health. “We have multiple WhatsApp groups… we send out advice as and when required,” he said.

The price of seed is decided in February when the market forms a clear picture of the upcoming onion market. Jadhav said their seeds are collected at the farm gate and farmers are given a sealed bag for their own reference. “In case we get complaints the farmer is free to get the seed tested in any laboratory they want,” he said. The seed undergoes germination tests — where a fixed number of seeds is germinated. Post grading and separating the seeds are packed and sent to different markets. At present Rahee Seeds is catering to markets in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. “Thanks to the QR code our customers can trace the place where the seed was produced and also the process involved. This transparency is the hallmark of our business and we hope to maintain the same in the days to come,” he said.