Purba Banerjee

Lal Teer Seed Limited

Lal Teer Seed Ltd. is the largest producer of seeds in the private sector in Bangladesh. It is a research-based company which develops and produces high yielding, both hybrid and open pollinated seeds and also manages its own sales and marketing infrastructure. The core products of Lal Teer are vegetables, rice, and maize and the company also deals with wheat, potato, cotton, jute, oil & pulses, flowers, and grass. Lal Teer believes that to create a sustainable model which benefits all stakeholders, the way forward is to have an inclusive model, hence the company has employed 12,000 contract farmers/growers who employ more than 50,000 agri workers, and emphasizes attention on increasing exposure of women into the agriculture industry. Lal Teer's extensive research and development program throughout the country ensures regional adaptation which is its greatest strength, as with it brings quality seeds to farmers with the necessary accurate information. Due to its vast farmer ecosystem, international agencies and NGOs, as well as public research institutes and Universities are collaborating with Lal Teer in technology transfer and capacity building. Lal Teer has set up a modern biotechnology lab which helps in selecting parental lines as well as supports in the testing of hybridity. It also has an impressive genebank facility housing several thousand germplasms. Recently the company has established a seed quality testing lab on premises within the framework of the International Seed Testing Authority (ISTA). Lal Teer Seed have developed international business in fields of seed, pesticide and chemical import of selected quality seed from USA, Thailand, China, Italy and exporting seed to countries like Vietnam, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Italy, Malaysia, etc. Over the years, Lal Teer has developed a mutually beneficial relationship with its partners. Lal Teer is not only contributing to the improvement of nutrition, food security, farmer empowerment, and women empowerment in Bangladesh, but also helps to mitigate the imminent effects of climate change.