Question : Setting up of Seed- Food and Soil Testing Institutions

(a) the number of institutes for seed, fertilizer and soil testing in the country and the details thereof, State-wise;

(b) whether the Government proposes to open the said institutes in various States including Jharkhand, if so, the details thereof;

(c) the total expenditure incurred by the Government on the above said institutes during the last three years and the total number of tests conducted by these institutes;

(d) whether several difficulties are being faced by these institutes in sample testing owing to the shortage of adequate staff and equipment, if so, the corrective steps taken by the Government in this regard;

(e) the target set for sample testing fixed by the above said institutes and the number of samples tested during the last three years; and

(f) the steps taken by the Government to strengthen these institutes?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

???? ??? ????? ?????? ???????? ??? ????? ?????? (DR. SANJEEV KUMAR BALYAN)

(a): The National Seed Research and Training Centre, Varanasi and the Central Fertilizers Quality Control and Training Institute, Faridabad are institutes under Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare for testing seeds and chemical fertilizer respectively in the country. Besides these national institutes, there are many seed, soil and fertilizer testing laboratories in the States to test the quality of these inputs.

(b): There is no such proposal with the Government to open new institutes for seed, fertilizer and soil testing.

(c): The total amount spent and the total number of tests conducted by these national institutes during last three years is annexed.
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(d): No specific problem was faced by these institutes in testing of samples due to the shortage of staff and equipments.

(e): National Seed Research and Training Centre, Varanasi has been assigned the target to test litigation seed samples received from various Courts and referral samples received from various State Seed Testing Laboratories in the country. Similarly, the Central Fertilizers Quality Control and Training Institute, Faridabad has been assigned the target of drawing the sample from all Ships / Containers containing imported fertilizer for testing. The number of samples tested in last three years by these institutes are annexed:

(f): The steps taken by the Government for strengthening of these institutes includes filling up the vacant staff positions, optimal utilization of existing facilities, creation of new facilities etc.