Gubba to set up biotech lab for seed industry

Setting up India’s first private sector dehumidified cold storage for seeds in 1998, Gubba today has 12 cold storage facilities for seeds in Hyderabad and Aurangabad (Maharashtra).

Hyderabad: Hyderabad-based cold storage company Gubba Cold Storage is setting up a biotechnology lab to cater to the seed industry. The lab which is coming up in Medchal, Hyderabad will be operational by April this year.

Setting up India’s first private sector dehumidified cold storage for seeds in 1998, Gubba today has 12 cold storage facilities for seeds in Hyderabad and Aurangabad (Maharashtra).

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Gubba Cold Storage CEO and director Gubba Kiran told Telangana Today, “We plan to carry out molecular grow-out test (MGOT) and DNA test for seeds of varied crops through our biotechnology lab. Since these tests are niche, only large seed companies can afford to create such in-house labs. Only 10 per cent of the industry can invest on such infrastructure. So our biotechnology lab will be a boon to several small and medium seed companies who want to carry out their seed tests.”

He added, “With our cold storage facilities, we had been the catalysts for the growth of Indian seed industry, which enabled the seed companies to grow their volumes consistently. Gubba’s Seed Lab received NABL certification last year, making it the third lab in India to receive this certification. We are soon going to use artificial intelligence in the seed lab for physical purity tests, which is going to be the first-of-its kind in the country.”

With several agricultural research institutions, universities and incubators driving innovation in Hyderabad, Kiran says, there will be a major role the biotechnology lab will play in the coming years.

There will be scope to evaluate and test overseas samples as well through this lab. The biotechnology lab will also be unique as it will enable seed zygosity testing to determine the presence of genetic modifications.

The company has the distinction of creating a Foundation Seed Cold Store, claimed to be the only cold storage in the world, where over 150 seed companies store their foundation/mother seeds. It has also established several Jumbo Bag Seed Cold Storage facilities in the last 10-15 years, with a capacity to handle over 1-2 tonnes.

Gubba Cold Storage has also created India’s first private sector Seed Germplasm Bank with a provision for seed preservation of upto 40 years. The company has developed capabilities in seed testing comprising physical purity, standard germination, determination of moisture content and per cent, quick viability test by Tetrazolium Chloride as well as accelerated ageing test and cold test for Corn.

In addition to the seed sector, the company has been creating storage facilities to meet pharmaceuticals and biopharma requirements as well. The company is in active discussion with the State and Central governments, vaccine developers and reefer logistics companies to support the supply chain for Covid-19 vaccine distribution across India, through its pharma-compliant storage facilities.

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