Punjab govt rolls out QR code system to curtail sale of spurious seeds

Chandigarh: In an innovative initiative aimed at providing quality seeds to farmers, Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Wednesday launched a QR code system which will help in eliminating the spurious seeds from markets and ensure the integrity of the seed supply chain.

This move will help the state farmers to easily determine the quality, source and certification of the seeds so that they receive only the best

agricultural inputs.

After launching the QR code system at his office, Khudian said that this system will provide a robust quality assurance mechanism and trace the source of seeds throughout the production chain.

“This system will also enable farmers to access all the details about the seeds just by scanning the QR code tag on the seed bags. By scanning the QR code, the seeds can be verified and comprehensive information about the seed producers can be obtained, including details about the inspection reports and lab test results,” he added.

He further informed that the seeds with valid certification will be sold by licensed dealers to farmers, which will ensure the integrity of

the seed supply.

Khudian stated that Punjab is an agrarian state and the Punjab government is working hard to address the challenges and difficulties faced by the agriculture sector. This QR code system is specifically designed to tackle issues related to seed production, quality seed identification

and seed certification.

The agriculture minister was informed by additional chief secretary (agriculture) Anurag Verma that the Punjab State Seed Certification Authority is the first organisation in the country to implement the SATHI (seed traceability, authentication and holistic inventory) portal, which was launched in Punjab on January 17, 2023.