Former Irrigation Minister P. Sudarshan Reddy urged the Agriculture Department to supply quality seeds to farmers as they are in dire need of the same, with monsoon due to arrive very soon. Earlier, they suffered insufficient germination as they were forced to sow spurious seeds supplied by greedy traders, he said.
Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Mr. Reddy said that for good yield, quality seeds must be sown, but the Government is not bothered about it. Officials were supplying those which were collected from farmers as foundation seed after processing it, he said, suggesting the department to ensure 90 per cent germination of seeds.
The senior Congress leader said that he had no objection about supply of seed, fertilisers and other inputs through the Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies, but they must work with utmost honesty. Since farmers had no confidence on the germination per cent of seed supplied by the Agriculture Department, they were planting double the quantity than they were advised, he added. Expressing serious concern over reports that there was no sufficient supply of BPT variety of paddy seed, he said officials should follow the farmers of Mulkanur Society to use quality seed and achieve high yield. As farmers had to plant more seeds, the subsidy being given on seed was getting neutralized, he added.
Referring to the alleged threat by leaders of the ruling party if anyone sought to remind their election promises, Mr. Sudarshan Reddy said that waiver of farm loan in a phased manner did not benefit the farmer. Bankers, instead of giving fresh loan, demanded clearance of interest on the previous loan, he pointed out.
TPCC general secretary Gadugu Gangadhar, DCC president Taher bin Hamdan, district Mahila Congress president and former MLA Aurnatara, and party leaders K. Nagesh Reddy, M. Venkulu, Anthireddy Raji Reddy, Muppa Ganga Reddy, Srinivas Yadav, Chandrashekar Goud, and Chandrakala were present.
