Sri Lanka Launches Digital Seed System to Transform Agriculture Sector

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation, together with the Department of Agriculture and with technical support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), has launched the CROPIX Seed Production, Certification & Traceability System, marking a significant step toward modernising Sri Lanka’s seed sector through digital innovation.

The system enhances seed production and certification processes by improving transparency, efficiency, traceability, and coordination among stakeholders across the seed value chain. It forms part of the broader Crop Resources, Optimizing operations through Precise Information eXchange System (CROPIX) digital agriculture platform, supporting national efforts to build a more resilient, efficient, and farmer-centric agricultural sector.

Quality seeds are identified as essential to increasing agricultural productivity, strengthening food security, and improving farmer livelihoods. However, Sri Lanka’s seed sector has faced challenges including delays in production and certification, limited access to quality-assured seeds, fragmented information systems, and limited traceability across distribution networks. These issues have become increasingly significant as farmers, public institutions, and private sector actors require faster, more reliable, and better-connected services to meet evolving production and market demands.

The newly introduced CROPIX Seed System addresses these challenges through an integrated platform linking seed growers, seed handlers, laboratories, field officers, administrators, and other agricultural systems. It enables real-time monitoring of seed production and certification activities, improves access to reliable information, reduces duplication, and supports faster verification and approval processes. It also ensures a consistent flow of data from field registration through certification, laboratory testing, seed availability, and distribution.

Technically, the system functions as an integrated digital platform with centralized data management, role-based user access, web-based workflows, and interoperability features.

Through application programming interfaces (APIs), it can exchange data with related agricultural databases and digital services, strengthening the broader digital agriculture ecosystem. Its traceability functions allow seed lots to be tracked through key stages of production and certification, while digital records, dashboards, and real-time reporting tools support evidence-based planning, monitoring, and decision-making.

The architecture also allows for future expansion, including analytics, mobile-enabled services, and integration with wider Digital Public Infrastructure initiatives.

The system is also expected to improve coordination between the Seed Certification Service (SCS) and the Seed and Planting Material Development Centre (SPMDC), and aligns technically with Sri Lanka’s Digital Economy Blueprint initiated by the Ministry of Digital Economy.

Speaking at the launch, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation K. D. Lalkantha stated that modernising the seed sector is critical to ensuring national food security, boosting agricultural productivity, and improving farmer livelihoods. He described the launch of the CROPIX Seed Production, Certification & Traceability System as an important milestone in building a more efficient, transparent, and technology-driven agricultural sector.

FAO Representative for Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Vimlendra Sharan, noted that digital innovation plays a vital role in transforming agrifood systems and improving service delivery to farmers. He said FAO is pleased to support Sri Lanka in advancing digital solutions that strengthen seed systems, enhance transparency and traceability, and improve timely access to quality seeds, reflecting the country’s commitment to building resilient and sustainable agrifood systems.

The CROPIX Seed System is expected to benefit farmers through improved access to quality seeds and real-time information, while enabling government and private sector stakeholders to make informed, data-driven decisions. It also strengthens transparency and accountability throughout the seed production and certification process, contributing to Sri Lanka’s broader digital agriculture agenda and efforts to enhance Digital Public Infrastructure and interoperability frameworks.