Central govt to support Center of Excellence for broccoli

The Government of Japan is actively promoting broccoli by including it in the country’s ‘designated vegetables’ list from fiscal year 2026,” said, Managing Director of Sakata Seed India Kenji Takikawa.

The Central Government will support the establishment of a Center of Excellence dedicated to broccoli to promote its cultivation, propagation, infrastructure development, and specialised cold storage facilities.

This initiative aims to popularise broccoli, which has emerged as a natural superfood rich in essential nutrients.

The announcement was made by Dr P.K. Singh, Agriculture Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW), Government of India, during the Broccoli Consumption Conference India 2026 in Mumbai, which brought all the stakeholders together under one platform.

The meeting was inaugurated by Dr Singh, Consulate General of Japan in Mumbai Yagi Koji, Deputy Commissioner Dr Mehraj AS, Managing Director of Sakata Seed India Kenji Takikawa, Executive Officer Isao Iuchi, and Javier Barnabu, widely regarded as the father of the broccoli revolution in Spain.

“The Government of Japan is actively promoting broccoli by including it in the country’s ‘designated vegetables’ list from fiscal year 2026,” said Takikawa.

In his welcome address, Ramesh Shirguppi, Director, Sakata Seed India, described the conference as the first of its kind in the vegetable sector. And highlighted that per capita consumption of broccoli in India is increasing day by day, reflecting growing awareness of its nutritional benefits.

Dr Singh noted that this was the first-ever broccoli-focused conference in India's vegetable sector, with significant potential in food security, public health, and farmer empowerment through cluster development.

He assured full government support for cultivation, cold storage, and processing, including the establishment of a Center of Excellence to provide technical education, quality production guidance, and market linkages for farmers.

"Farmers know how to grow quality produce, but they need reliable markets," Dr Singh said.

According to him, the existing potato cold storage facilities could be customised for broccoli, and support would extend to organic cultivation. Assistance from the Japanese government may also be sought for this initiative, he said.

Koji shared that while broccoli is not native to Japan, government and collective efforts have helped spread it to 170 countries worldwide. Japan has developed climate-suited seeds for India, positioning broccoli as a key component for the nation's nutrition and overall development.

The conference featured a motivational speech by legendary cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth, who shared how he incorporates broccoli into his diet including broccoli soup four times a week.