National Seeds Corporation begun selling seeds online through the ONDC platform
The National Seeds Corporation (NSC), a public-sector undertaking under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, has begun selling seeds online through the ONDC platform in order to expand its reach. Since its launch in December 2018, weekly sales have exceeded ₹16,000.
“It was never tried before because NSC was content with business as usual. However, the customers’ expressed interest indicates that there is a large market to be tapped. People know that the seeds are genuine because NSC is a government company, and there will be no cheating even if they buy online,” said Maninder Kaur Dwivedi, NSC’s Chairman and Managing Director.
During August 11-17, NSC sold 172 seeds and planting materials worth ₹16,443 at 8 locations, according to the spokesperson. NSC recently launched a 120 gm vegetable kitchen garden seed kit priced at ₹150, which includes 12 seasonal vegetable crop seeds. Also Read | India is firm in its pursuit of the exclusive EU label for basmati rice
However, vegetables and floriculture seeds account for the majority of online sales, indicating that ONDC has a normal penetration among urban consumers.
Basmati Seeds
The public sector seed company has also been offering certified Pusa Basmati seeds through the MyStore platform. Farmers typically obtain Pusa Basmati from the Delhi-based Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), where certified seeds are scarce.
Dwivedi stated that sales are taking place from various NSC office locations in order to reduce transit time and costs until they reach customers. She added that special care was taken to ensure that the plants arrived safely at the buyer’s location.
In fiscal 2022-23, NSC reported a net profit of ₹53 crore, with a 21% increase in turnover to ₹1,112 crore. Also Read | Adani Wilmar acquired basmati rice brand Kohinoor from McCormick Switzerland
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