Drive against bogus soyabean seeds

KOLHAPUR: Agriculture department has launched a drive against the sale of sub-standard seeds of soyabean, following thousands of complaints from farmers.
The department has, so far, lodged formal complaints against 23 companies, including the state government-run Mahabeej. On Tuesday, agriculture department lodged a complaint against a private seed company with Vairag police in Solapur district after 59 farmers complained that the seeds did not germinate at all.Officials in agriculture department said the company did not have a licence and was producing sub-standard seeds.
Agriculture commissioner Suhas Diwase told TOI that complaints are filed only after a technical team of the department conducts tests on the seeds. “Specific seeds are tested after we get a complaint from the farmer and necessary action is taken after the test report comes in,” he said.
The agriculture department has even initiated action against government-run Mahabeej, which has almost 30 % share in the market.
Officials in agriculture department said that many of the companies had replaced the seeds after complaints by the farmers but the issue has not been completely solved.
While soyabean is a major cash crop from Marathwada and parts of Vidarbha, it is also cultivated to some extent in western Maharashtra. Diwase said almost 42 lakh hectares is under soyabean cultivation in the state.
Farmers are worried that they will face cash crunch to purchase new soyabean seeds. Sachin Patil, a farmer from Chachegaon in Karad, said he had to go for re-sowing. “I had to spend additional money and even now I’m not sure that I will have a crop,” he said.