Only 12% seeds available in district for kharif sowing

Kolhapur: After the pre-monsoon showers, farmers have initiated the process of kharif sowing. The sowing activity will pick up soon in the district, but farmers are facing a paucity of the seeds.

According to the district agricultural department, to sow an area of 2.53 lakh hectare, around 31,000 quintal of seeds are needed. At present, only 4,000 quintals are available. The department has said the seeds will be made available in intervals ensuring that there is no shortage by the time the actual sowing begins in the district.

Paddy, soybean, ragi, maize, jowar, cereals and groundnut are the main kharif crops sown in the Kolhapur district.

The four-month season starts by the end of June and ends in October. However, the farmers start preparations by April end and May.

Dnyaneshwar Wakure, Kolhapur district agricultural officer, said: “We are ensuring that farmers get the adequate seeds for sowing during kharif season. At present, we have 4000 quintals of seeds of paddy in various agricultural seed shops in the district. The other seeds will be made available in intervals.”

“Every year, in March or April, we convey the message to the department about the requirement for seeds for the next year. The information is passed on to seed producing companies which keep the seeds ready and allocate the same to shops in the district,” he said.

“We fear the lockdown will have an impact on the sale of seeds. If the lockdown is extended further, it will be difficult for us to get the seeds to sell to the farmers,” said a Radhanagari-based shop owner.

Sanjay Patil, a paddy farmer from Gargoti said, “We need paddy seeds by May 20. We hope the government will lift the lockdown so that we can start our agricultural activities.”

According to the officials, farming activities generally start with the onset of the pre-monsoon showers. Activities like preparing the farm for cultivation, cleaning land peripheries and getting them ready for sowing and cultivation need manpower and machines. These activities were affected by the lockdown. Some of the activities began after the government relaxed the norms after April 20, but the boundaries cut between villages hampered the movement of workers.