As sowing will be undertaken in SPSR Nellore district between mid-November and December, farmers have begun seed procurement for the rabi (October-April) season. Some, however, have raised serious concerns about seed quality and demanded that the Agriculture Department take action against dealers supplying poor quality seeds.
After receiving complaints from farmers in Kondapuram village, District Agriculture Officer (DAO) P. Satyavani recently inspected over 60 outlets and collected 47 samples, which will be sent to seed testing laboratories. The lab reports are expected to reach the DAO in a week.
Speaking to The Hindu, Ms. Satyavani said: “If the germination of the seeds is less than 80%, we declare them as substandard and take action againstthe dealers.”
“Paddy is the major crop in the district. We are distributing 11,500 quintals of seeds at subsidised prices. Only 20% of the farmers in the district depend on subsidised seeds supplied by the government. About 30-40% procure seeds from private dealers and the rest use their own seeds,” she said.
Two lakh hectares in the district are cultivated during the rabi season. Though black gram is the second chief crop, it did not grow well this year owing to less rains in September. Bengal gram and tobacco are the next major crops in the district, with 8,000 hectares and 10,000 hectares under cultivation respectively.
“Paddy seed distribution is yet to be completed. We will also supply 14,000 quintals of Bengal gram seeds at subsidised prices to farmers. The Tobacco Board will take care of the tobacco farmers in the district. The total number of farmers this year will be known after issuing the utilisation certificate,” the DAO said.
“Nellore has well-equipped labs to check seed quality. There is a seed testing lab in every constituency, except for Udayagiri. We also suggest to the farmers to take precautions while sowing. Rabi is the main agriculture season here as the district receives more rain during the the Northeast Monsoon between October and December,” she added.
Published - October 30, 2024 09:04 pm IST
