Pune farmer saves 200 native vegetable and legume seeds; sells at nominal rates across India

When Milind Sawant’s mother got married about 45 years back, she received native seeds of 40 types of vegetables and some paddy varieties from her parents. About half a century ago, it was customary to gift seeds to a daughter at her wedding to ensure food security for her and her family. 

“My mother (Samindra Valmik Sawant) carefully conserved those seeds on a patch of land in our Sawantwadi  Village, Baramati taluka, of Pune district. She would cultivate vegetables for the family’s consumption and let some dry on the plants. She would then collect their seeds for use in the next season,” Milind tells 30Stades.

Milind and his siblings saw it just as a way of life. “About ten years back, I came in contact with visionary agriculturist Dr Subhash Palekar, who told me about the importance of seed conservation for sustainable farming. I immediately got interested as my mother had been doing it for many decades,” says Milind, who works with auto maker Piaggio.

“I decided to support my mother in seed conservation and expand her collection so that other people could also benefit by using native seeds,” he adds.

Today, Milind and his family have conserved native seeds of nearly 200 types of vegetables, legumes, paddy and oilseeds. In a selfless service, they propagate the native seeds over five acres of their family land and sell them to home gardeners at nominal rates ranging between Rs 30 and Rs 50 per packet.

Also Read: With Rs 150 and a bike, this farmer saved 300 native vegetable seeds; sells across India

“My mother is a teacher in a local anganwadi, and my brother and I have jobs too. So we use our land to promote sustainable farming. My wife and sister-in-law look after drying and the collection of seeds. We all work on the farm after office hours,” says Milind proudly.

Native seeds are indigenous seeds that have naturally evolved in any geography over a long period. 

Plants grown using native seeds are already well-adapted to the local climate, soil, and wildlife. They require less water and fertiliser and support biodiversity.

Unlike hybrid seeds, native seeds can be saved and reused in the next season. They promote agricultural sustainability and organic farming.

How Milind collected native seeds

To collect desi seeds, Milind would travel to nearby villages and meet farmers on weekends. He would share his seeds and take new varieties from them. “I travelled across Maharashtra and Gujarat to collect them from farmers, seed savers and tribal people,” he says.

“I travelled to seed camps and exhibitions and exchanged seeds. I also visited seed banks after learning about them through social media,” Milind says.

He currently has seeds of 21 types of leafy green vegetables, including red spinach, chandan batwa (bathua), kurdu, and gonguras. He also has a yellow lady’s finger variety that grows 1.5 feet long and has nine corners against five in the regular variety.

“Only three such lady fingers will weigh 250 gm. They are tasty as well,” he says.

Also Read: Five farmers who save and sell native vegetable seeds to promote biodiversity

Milind has heirloom seeds of 18 types of beans, 15 types of tomatoes and brinjals each, chillies of four varieties and lady’s finger of five varieties. He has 15 types of gourds, including medicinal, 18 types of climbing vegetables like peas, three types of toor pulses, 23 types of legumes, 11 varieties of oilseeds, 12 types of grains and ten types of tubers. 

He sends desi seeds in plastic pouches by India Post to people across India.

How native seeds are saved

To get the seeds, the fully ripened vegetables are allowed to dry on the plant.  This method is followed mostly for gourds, lady’s finger, beans, and pumpkins.

Tomatoes, brijals and chillies are harvested and then ripened. They are cut, washed, cleaned, and the seeds are dried on cloth for four to five days. 

Seeds are collected from green leafy vegetables at the time of flowering and are then dried. “We save all the seeds in airtight and transparent plastic containers, as it helps monitor any infection and know the variety with just a glance. Storing in earthen pots makes it difficult to know if there is any infestation,” he says.

Milind adds neem leaves, cow dung ash, chilli powder and other bio inputs to seeds to prevent any infestation and retain their germination power. “Some are stored in the refrigerator to keep them healthy,” he adds.

“My family is focused on seed conservation, and we continue to grow our collection. This is a good way to ensure food security and native biodiversity conservation,” he adds.

(Riya Singh is a Ranchi-based journalist who writes on environment, farming, sustainability, startups, & women empowerment)

Also Read: Telangana woman farmer saves 650 varieties of native vegetable and flower seeds, sells across India

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