The Manipur Government has cleared the proposal to establish the Manipur Seed and Organic Certification Agency (MASOCA), paving the way for the state to have its own mechanism for certifying seeds and organic produce.
The approval was given during the Governor-in-Council meeting held on August 14, chaired by Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla. Under the Seeds Act, 1966, state governments are authorized to create seed certification bodies to ensure that seeds meet prescribed quality standards before they reach farmers.
Until now, Manipur farmers had to depend on the Tripura Seed Certification Agency, which charged certification fees from both public and private growers. Officials said this not only diverted revenue outside the state but also added to the costs borne by cultivators.
Explaining the significance of the decision, Director of Agriculture Peter Salam said the agency would become operational within two months. He added that while Manipur currently has a notified seed testing laboratory at ICAR Imphal and another at Central Agricultural University, there is still no state-run facility. The new agency, along with a proposed state seed testing laboratory, would bridge this gap.
Salam further noted that the move will help prevent the annual outflow of nearly ₹24.75 lakh, which the Manipur Organic Mission Agency currently pays to a private certifying company for crops such as black rice, pineapple, ginger, turmeric, and passion fruit. Once MASOCA is functional, this expenditure will be retained within the state.
The establishment of MASOCA will be supported through funding from the National Food Security and Nutrition Mission under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Salam also emphasized the agency’s role in certifying products under natural farming, which Manipur began adopting this year across 2,275 hectares during the kharif season.
