The APSA Executive Committee and Secretariat would like to express our heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the family, friends and associates of Buta Singh Kanwal, who passed away recently.
A doyen of the Indian Seed Industry over a career spanning 30 years, Buta Sing Ji was born on Aug 24th, 1952 in an agricultural family of Haryana.
Having lost his father after 13 days of his birth, he grew up in an independent and hardworking household, going on to build a flourishing career over five decades, spanning the length and breadth of his country.
An alumnus of Meerut University, Buta Singh Ji was introduced to the Indian seed industry by Shri Uday Singh Ji in 1991 – growing Namdhari Seeds Pvt Ltd. to great heights of the industry.
When he retired in 2013 as the Director at Namdhari Seeds, the company had established a strong leadership position for several seed product lines. During his tenure, his hard work and dedication to the seed industry saw his career flourish as he brought his deep knowledge and insights to multiple organisations that are defining the future of the seed industry and farming practices in India.
He went on to play a vital role in various committees of several domestic and international agricultural organisations, including the Seed Association of India, the International Seed Federation (ISF), and the Asia and Pacific Seed Association (APSA).
He was the Chairman of the proceedings for the pivotal National Organising Committee of APSA, held in Hyderabad in 2008. He twice served as an Executive Committee Member of ASPA from 2004 to 2007 and again from 2011 to 2014 . As a key member of the Governance Steering Committee of ASPA, he helped redraft its constitution, which was a crucial milestone in the organisation’s growth.
Since 2014, he grew Lucky Seeds Pvt Ltd. from scratch, to an organization of international acclaim. His impeccable planning and foresightedness expanded the company's operations from just a few states to across India as well as foreign shores. His vision for Lucky seeds is now carried forward by his old friend Naresh Lakhotia and his son Balwant Singh.
Buta Singh Kanwal was a renowned thought leader in the seed industry and his innovations in seed technology and seed marketing have built a new generation of seed entrepreneurs in the country. A soft-speaking leader of the industry, hundreds of seed professionals across the globe owe their firm standing to the groundwork laid by Buta Singh Ji.
A life-long seedsman, his extensive knowledge and a strong vision for the seed industry attracted his colleagues, juniors, farmers and suppliers throughout the industry.
The Indian seed industry has seen an irreparable loss of a father-figure, when Buta Singh Ji succumbed to the after-effects of Covid on April 29, 2021.