Manish Kumar

Seed production and quality professional with 9+ years of experience across seed production, quality assurance, nursery management and agricultural research. Experienced in end-to-end vegetable seed production, particularly cauliflower, as well as paddy seed QA, field trials, seed testing, genetic purity testing and data-driven field monitoring. Strong foundation in Seed Science & Technology, with postgraduate research in seed pelleting.

Experienced in standardizing production and QA procedures, troubleshooting field and production issues, coordinating teams and driving continuous improvement. Seeking to contribute seed technology, operations research and process-improvement expertise to an Asia-focused agronomic and manufacturing research role.

Regional Manager at Sakata India Pvt. Ltd. (2025-07 – Present)

• Manage the end-to-end seed production cycle from parent seed indenting through production and processing-plant dispatch.
• Lead cauliflower and other vegetable seed production activities, including nursery operations and research trials.
• Standardize production roles, procedures and quality-assurance guidelines to improve consistency and operational control.
• Lead continuous-improvement initiatives focused on workflow, quality and production output.
• Coordinate production activities and field teams to maintain production and quality objectives.

Area Production Manager at Syngenta India Pvt. Ltd. (2021-08 – 2025-06)

• Managed large-scale vegetable seed production, nursery operations and research trials across regional operations.
• Coordinated production activities and sourcing of critical materials to support production targets and changing customer requirements.
• Implemented standardized production procedures to strengthen quality assurance and consistency.
• Worked with field teams and stakeholders to address production requirements and maintain operational performance.

Executive – Quality Assurance at Savannah Seeds Pvt. Ltd. (2019-06 – 2021-07)

• Executed field quality assurance activities for paddy seed production, including seed sampling, blending and packing.
• Conducted germination, physical purity and Grow Out Tests (GOT) to assess seed quality and genetic integrity.
• Developed product specifications and updated QA procedures in alignment with organizational requirements.
• Used Smart-farm application for field data collection, monitoring and production-quality tracking.

Project Assistant at CSIR-IHBT (2018-02 – 2019-05)

• Executed agro-technology development trials under the Phytopharmaceutical Mission for RET plant species.
• Supported field research, data collection and evaluation of improved cultivation practices.
• Contributed to expansion of cultivation into challenging Himalayan regions and communicated improved agricultural practices to farmers.

Assistant Professor at Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Khalsa College (2016-08 – 2018-02)

• Delivered agriculture lectures and supervised field activities.
• Supported practical agricultural learning and field-based student activities.

M.Sc. Agriculture in Seed Science & Technology – Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture & Forestry (2014 – 2016)

B.Sc. Horticulture in Horticulture – Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture & Forestry (2010 – 2014)