The first principle of success is desire - knowing what you want. Desire is the planting of your seed. And Nanasaheb Balkrishna Patil, IAS, Chairman, MSSCL & Principal Secretary (Agril.) Government of Maharashtra , belongs to that rare genre of people who carry with them a burning desire to excel; and the seeds of hard work which finally sprout into a success story. Known for his scientific vision and revolutionary agricultural concepts Patil, who has held several important posts during his decades of service, has worked unrelentingly to ensure that MSSCL reaches the height, it was set to achieve.

And it's no surprise that because of his and his predecessors' efforts Maharashtra today is the largest certified seed consuming state in India. And the MSSCL has repeated its success every year. It was in recognition of this exemplary feat that National Productivity Council has awarded MSSCL with National Productivity Award for seven consecutive times. MSSCL's outstanding performance has largely been possible because of people like Patil. In fact, MSSCL is one of the few state public sector companies in which farmers and seed growers have been made holders of the Corporation. This certainly speaks volumes of the social commitment being shouldered by the MSSCL and visionaries like Patil.

Set up in 1976 with an objective to provide quality certified seeds to Maharashtra's farmers at affordable rates, Patil has carried the company's objectives forward. Believing in the ideology that no nation can progress if its teeming farming community remains impoverished, Patil has worked day-in and day-out for the empowerment of farmer's community in the state. He has been instrumental in introducing various schemes for the farmers and has ensured that the MSSCL's benefits percolate down to the needy farming community.

Engaged primarily in production, processing and marketing of seeds, MSSCL has successfully developed more than 225 varieties and hybrids in almost all categories i.e. cereals, oilseeds, pulses, vegetables, green manuring and fodder crops. And it goes without saying that the successes have been possible largely because of Patil's relentless efforts. Under the leadership of Kumar and his predecessors, MSSCL has been able to augment its 26 seed processing plants (SPPs) with scientific storage facilities to a capacity of 4.5 lakhs quintals. Equipped with modern machineries and latest gadgets, MSSCL, under Patil has earned the trust and confidence of millions of farmers. Certainly, if the goal is noble and an institution has someone like Patil, the fruits of success are not hard to come forth.