30 July 2014 | Features | By BioSpectrum Bureau
Top 20: Hoping Bt Cotton yield will rise
Mr Prabhakar Rao, chairman & MD, Nuziveedu Seeds
Nuziveedu Seeds is India's largest hybrid seed company, which for the FY2013-14 recorded close to Rs 775 crore, selling about 100 lakh Bt cotton seed packets. It's revenue growth was flat this year.
The company, now, has over 250 different products in various categories of crops. It has introduced a new concept of breeding in which erect plant types are used in Bt cotton hybrids, this reduces the space between plants thereby increasing the crop density per acre. Initially, though it began its research in breeding cotton, it later ventured in to R&D of other crops like rice, maize, bajra, sunflower, jowar, and vegetables.
The R&D department currently has 171 professionals.
Nuziveedu Seeds has collaborated with national and international crop research like ICAR, IARI, State Agriculture Universities, Osmania University, NBRI (Lucknow), DBT, SAUs, ICRISAT, AVRDC, CYMMYT, and IRRI. Other international collaborations include AVRDC, Taiwan; IRRI, Philippines; CIMMYT, Mexico; and ECITA, Vietnam.
Currently, Nuziveedu produces seeds in states like Gujarat, AP, Karnataka, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Uttarakhand. Its group companies include NSL Cotton, NSL Power, NSL Infratech, NSL Textiles, NSL Sugars and ReGen Powertech. From the seed technologies standpoint, the company has strategic alliances with KRIBHCO, Tata Kisan Sansar (TKS), Coromandel International Ltd, Coupal Saagar - ITC, Yaaganti, Prabhat, and Pravardhan.