Despite claims from Agriculture Department officials regarding streamlining of the sale of seeds, complaints against seed sellers duping farmers by selling substandard quality seeds have not come down.
In a fresh incident, farmers of Kalghatagi taluk have complained about crop loss due to the supply of poor quality seeds.
The farmers who brought the issue to the notice of Deputy Commissioner Sameer Shukla here on Wednesday, said they had to incur heavy losses due to crop failure. They had purchased seeds from private firms recommended by Department of Agriculture officials.
As the district had received good rainfalls after three consecutive years of natural calamities, the farmers were expecting good yield during this season, they said. The seeds were of poor quality and the cotton did not flower, they said. A farmer said he had got no yield in his entire two acres of field and was worried how to repay the loan he took for cultivation.
The farmers bought the Kanaka 7351 variety Bt cotton seeds from Sangameshwar Agro Centre in Hubli in May-June.
These seeds were recommended by the assistant director of the Department of Agriculture in Kalaghatagi.
The district administration should conduct an inquiry into this matter and see that compensation was paid to farmers, they said and added the issue had to be settled within seven days.
