I India's growing population and the rising disposable incomes are driving the demand for good quality healthy food in large quantities. In the days ahead, the demand to produce greater quantity, variety, and quality of food will continue to grow as available cultivable land decreases. Given the fact that seed is the primary input for any vegetable cultivation, procurement of quality seed has been much more important than ever before. “Seed quality is mostly measured by the consumer, via scrutinizing its germination, vigor, and purity. Today, customers also expect superior genetics. In other words, the variety should have the tolerance to diseases & pests, and result in a good marketable yield,” mentions Praveen Noojibail, Managing Director at I&B Seeds.
As an R&D-driven Seed Company, I&B Seeds has been one firm striving to deliver the highest quality seed from the perspective of both purity and germination. Moreover, the firm deploys customized and optimized technological tools while following strict SOPs to ensure the delivery of optimum quality seeds at a reasonable price with high efficiency.
“Our breeding pipeline constantly deploys new molecular techniques, with the conventional crop improvement methods, to develop and improve our genetics. The improved varieties and hybrids are tested across multi seasons and multi-locations, to validate their performances, and only those which demonstrate stability are advanced further for production and commercial release,” states Praveen Noojibail.
Robust R&D Facility
To ensure constant innovation and development, I&B leverages its pool of 100+ acres of research farms, over 25,000 SFT of greenhouses located at various locations, and a state-of-the-art ‘Cell & Molecular Biology’ laboratory of over 8000 SFT in Bangalore. The firm has over 30 scientists including several Ph.D. scholars that utilize multi-disciplinary tools to deliver high-quality seeds and products.
Recognized by DSIR, the state-of-the-art R&D facility at Bangalore site focuses on the genotyping facility, which drives the Marker-Assisted Breeding programs of I&B seeds. “Deployment of MAS has helped the breeders to shorten the time required to develop desired hybrids/varieties in a more efficient manner. The molecular biology lab also deploys marker analysis for purity analysis, a significant part of our QA. We also have a dedicated team working on Double Haploid Production, and we have standardized high throughput protocols for doubled haploid production in Sweet Pepper, Hot Peppers, and Cucumber,” shares Praveen Noojibail.
Under the molecular biology and tissue culture program, the firm performs multiple operations aligning with the global standards. Starting with plant molecular biology, I&B performs key
operations like - Plant genomic DNA/total RNA/mRNA isolation and analysis by different techniques, and target specific protein quantification by ELISA. Under the Plant Molecular Breeding program, the firm accomplishes - marker-assisted selection and introgression of trait of interest, SSR/SNP maker development for varietal fingerprinting, and validating markers for key traits like – disease and quality in Tomato, Pepper, Rice, and Cucumber.
I&B seeds also have a dedicated plant pathology unit, with expert pathologists & Molecular Biologists who are contributing to the area of breeding disease-resistant vegetable crops. Moreover, the unit has also established health testing for vegetable seeds based on the International Seed Health Initiative for Vegetable crops (ISHI-Veg) protocols. Furthermore, I&B has a strong team of plant breeders and agronomists, who interact closely with biotechnology and pathology teams, to leverage the technology and achieve desired objectives in the field.
The varieties developed, and selected for commercial launch following rigorous product evaluation trials are moved into the seed production program. Praveen Noojibail points out, “Our seed production processes are of higher standards, and we deploy proper isolation and ample protection to ensure that the seed produced by our growers are of superior quality. After production, each seed lot produced gets tested in our laboratories for quality parameters, and only those which pass our QC criteria are used for commercial sales to the customers.”
Continued delivery of optimum service
Market evaluation and analytics play an effective role in gaining a better perspective and in understanding the need of the customers and ensuring the optimum delivery of service and products. Since its inception, I&B has been paying undivided attention to market evaluation and analytics to align itself with its customers’ expectations, especially on seed quality aspects. The sales and marketing team shares a close relationship with the farmers and understands their preferences. Constant communication and feedback from the marketing team to the R&D team helps I&B to refine the product in line with the Customer's expectations. Further, the sales team also conducts regular awareness programs and field days to educate the farmers about new products, and the latest trends in crop management and cultivation methods.
The ranges of seeds delivered are Tomato, Chilli, Capsicum, Watermelon, Sweet Corn, Onion, Okra, and Cucumber in vegetables; Marigold, Petunia in flowers and Maize and Paddy in field crops
Today, I&B seeds deliver specific seeds that are developed by the firm itself. The ranges of seeds delivered are Tomato, Chilli, Capsicum, Watermelon, Sweet Corn, Onion, Okra, and Cucumber in vegetables; Marigold, Petunia in flowers and Maize and Paddy in field crops.
The Future Roadmap
I&B Seeds private Limited (I&B) was started as a joint venture between Indus Seeds and W. Atlee Burpee Company of USA. W.Atlee Burpee Company is one of the oldest companies in the world and is the largest packet seed company in the US, whereas, Indus Seeds, Headquartered in Bangalore, India, is a company established in 2005. It is managed by technocrats who have vast experience in the seed industry.
Initially, the company started its operations in the name of Indus Seeds in the year 2005 and converted into a Private Limited Company in the year 2014 with the induction of an offshore shareholder. The company which had a turnover of Rs. 5.8 crores in the year 2009-10 will have over Rs.105 crores turnover in the year 2021-22. With time I&B has evolved as a reliable supplier of Agri-related products and services to discerning customers around the globe.
Today, the company has a Pan India presence with a loyal customer base of over 650 dealers all over the country. Today, the company with more than 500 employees has spread its wings across the globe with exports to many countries including the United States, Russia, Egypt, Bangladesh, Thailand, Srilanka, etc.
“More than 90% of our revenue is generated from products bred from our own R&D. Our sales in the Vegetable segment are growing rapidly which will contribute handsomely to our future growth. Recently we have added Field Crop to our product portfolio with more emphasis on hybrid paddy. With the rapid growth in the vegetable segment and increase in the volume of Field Crops sales, the company is gearing up for Rs. 200 crores turnover in the near future,” concludes Praveen Noojibail.
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