The private delivery of public crop varieties: Rice in Andhra Pradesh

Although there has been a considerable growth of private seed enterprises in developing countries, there are few examples of the private delivery of seed of public crop varieties that are not hybrids. This paper discusses the example of rice in Andhra Pradesh, where private enterprise is supplying an increasing proportion of the seed used by farmers. The institutional conditions for private expansion into rice seed are examined. The paper discusses instances where low transaction costs allow for the emergence of a wide range of seed enterprises. But despite the success of private seed delivery, inadequate attention has been given to incentives for variety promotion, and to the importance of consumer education. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.