SATHI: Transforming India’s seed journey from laboratory to farmer

Ravi Bhushan Prasad^* and Vishal Dinkar

Abstract

Seed is the foundation of agricultural productivity and its quality determines the success of crop production. Ensuring that farmers receive genuine, high-quality seed has always been a major challenge due to the involvement of multiple agencies in seed production, certification, processing, storage and distribution. To address these challenges, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India, in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre (NIC), has developed the SATHI (Seed Traceability, Authentication and Holistic Inventory) portal. SATHI is a comprehensive digital platform that provides end-to-end traceability of seeds from nucleus seed production to the final delivery of certified seed to farmers. The portal integrates research institutions, seed-producing agencies, certification bodies, processing plants, dealers and government organizations into a single digital ecosystem. Through features such as GIS-based monitoring, mobile-enabled field inspections, QR-code-based seed tracking, digital certification, inventory management and real-time monitoring, SATHI enhances transparency, efficiency and accountability in the seed supply chain.