National workshop on SATHI portal held in New Delhi

New Delhi: Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India, organized a National Workshop on the SATHI (Seed Authentication, Traceability, and Holistic Inventory) Portal at the NASC Complex, Pusa Campus, New Delhi.

Spearheaded by Seed Division of the Department, the event brought together more than 140 participants, including government officials, state agriculture department representatives, researchers, and other key stakeholders from across the country.

The workshop served as a platform for reviewing the progress of the SATHI Portal and discussing the roadmap for its next phases, focusing on improved seed traceability, inventory, certification, and enhancement of the seed supply chain across India.

Dr Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary, DA&FW, delivered the welcome address and spoke about the pivotal role of seed traceability in ensuring the availability of high-quality seeds to farmers. He stated, “Concerted efforts are key to ensuring certified seeds reach our farmers. The introduction of new, superior seed varieties must be promoted for the benefit of farmers.” Dr Chaturvedi highlighted the government’s commitment to supporting farmers by providing them with certified seed varieties and encouraged State Department officials to promote the new and improved varieties through the portal.

Shubha Thakur, Additional Secretary, DA&FW, in her inaugural address, emphasized the critical role of State Departments in achieving the objectives of the SATHI Portal. “Collaboration among stakeholders is key to SATHI’s success. We are confident that state departments will be true ‘Saathis’ of the SATHI initiative,” she said. She further underscored the significance of the Phase-II rollout of the SATHI Portal, which focuses on seed inventory management and aims to ensure farmers have reliable and transparent access to seed-related information. “Farmers welfare remains our top priority,” she stressed, underlining the government’s commitment to improving the quality and traceability of seeds across the country.

The inaugural session commenced with opening remarks from Shri Dilip Srivastava, Deputy Commissioner (QC), DA&FW, who welcomed the dignitaries comprising Dr Devesh Chaturvedi Secretary (DA&FW), Smt Shubha Thakur, Additional Secretary (DA&FW), Smt. Ruchika Gupta, Advisor (Agriculture Statistics), Shri Prashant Mittal, DDG, NIC, and Director, Dr. Sanjay Kumar, ICAR-IISS MAU on stage and expressed gratitude for the participation of diverse stakeholders while acknowledging  the importance of collaborative efforts to ensure the success of the SATHI initiative.

During the technical sessions, senior officials from the NIC, Seed Division and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) presented the key features of the SATHI Portal, demonstrating how it addresses various challenges in seed certification and management, Joint Director, NIC, Odisha’s in-depth review of the progress achieved in seed certification during Phase-I of the portal, explaining how the portal streamlined processes across states, gave an insight into the portal’s on-ground achievements.

The workshop also featured detailed presentations on critical topics such as seed law enforcement, DNA fingerprinting, and seed laboratory processes, which form essential components of the portal’s broader goal of ensuring seed quality. Experts from the NIC and ICAR provided updates on how these components are integrated into the SATHI Portal to enhance traceability and efficiency in the seed sector. The participants were introduced to the SATHI Portal’s capability to manage a comprehensive seed database that would allow for greater accountability and better decision-making for stakeholders at all levels.

10 State representatives shared their experiences with the SATHI Portal, detailing the benefits and challenges they encountered during the implementation process. These insights provided a valuable understanding of the portal’s impact at the grassroots level. State officials emphasized that the portal has helped streamline their seed certification processes, significantly improving the accuracy and speed of certification.

An interactive session followed another series of presentations focussed on implementation of seed inventory module, during which officials from various states and Union Territories discussed their readiness to adopt Phase-II of the SATHI Portal. They shared their requirements for the successful implementation of the portal on a larger scale, particularly the need for capacity-building measures, technical support, and seamless integration of state-specific processes into the national framework.

The SATHI Portal, developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), is a crucial initiative aimed at revolutionizing seed certification and inventory management. By improving transparency and efficiency in the seed sector, it addresses concerns about seed quality and traceability for farmers. The event allowed participants to delve into the various facets of the portal and its impact on ensuring a transparent, traceable, and efficient system for seed management.

The event concluded with a vote of thanks by Shri Dilip Srivastava highlighting the critical role of the SATHI Portal in enhancing seed quality control and promoting transparency in the seed supply chain.