The court has asked the department in question to present the details of the complaints received at the tehsil level, a measure taken under the Seed Law. (Proceedings)
Insignificant order, the Aurangabad bank of the Bombay High Court has noted its reported lack of seed germination by soybean producers in various parts of the state. A bench of two judges from Judge T V Nalawade and Judge Shrikant D Kulkarni ordered the state Department of Agriculture to file a report on the matter.
Soybean growers in Maharashtra were repaired after the seeds they sowed failed to germinate. A major cash crop, oilseed occupies 40-41 lakh hectares of area in the state, mainly in the Marathwada and Vidarbha districts. After receiving good returns on the oilseed last season, farmers were also optimistic about the harvest this year. The early onset of the monsoon had also resulted in accelerated planting.
According to the Department of Agriculture officials, failure of germination could be attributed to three main reasons: deep seeding, insufficient soil moisture, and inferior seed quality. The agriculture commission had blamed a certain variety of seeds supplied by Mahabeej, the government-owned seed corporation, for the lack of germination. The corporation has started the seed replacement process in some places. The Indian Express had reported the problem on June 23.
Citing media reports, the bank noted that reports of seed failures from various districts had prompted them to step in and initiate Public Interest Litigation (PIL) for action to be taken against merchants and companies that put fake seeds in the market. The court criticized the statement by the agriculture minister expressing the inability to take action against the fake seed companies under the Seed Act of 1966. However, the minister had said that farmers would get a replacement for the seeds.
“It can be said that the department in question has no intention of taking criminal action against sellers and producers of fake seeds, even when they have misled farmers and caused great losses not only to farmers but also to the country.” The order read.
The judges observed that resource investment was capital intensive, especially for the poor farmers in the region. The court further noted that farmers were reluctant to approach the authorities to file complaints, as they feel that it will do no good. “It was not possible to sell counterfeit seeds in view of the provision of the 1966 Seed Law without the complicity of the officials of the department in question. The court wants to take action against those concerned, including officials from the Department of Agriculture, who did not take action against traders for that crime … this court is also issuing a provisional order, “the order reads.
The court has asked the department in question to present the details of the complaints received at the tehsil level, the measures taken under the Seed Law, visits to stores, actions against companies, this season of Kharif.
The court has also asked the police to submit details of the complaints received and the measures are taken. Similarly, the Department of Agriculture has also been asked to submit details of the measures taken in the past five years. Appointing the attorney P P More as amicus curiae, the court decided to hear the matter next Friday.
Meanwhile, thanking the court for dealing with the problem on its own, Manikrao Kadam, a farmer leader from Parbhani, said the court has come to the rescue of the farmers. In regions such as Wadvani in Beed and Gangakhed in Parbhani, farmers said that timely surveys were being carried out to assess the extent of the problem. Govinda Yadav, a congressional activist, and farmer in Gangakhed said farmers could not decide their next step and hoped for clarity from the government on what kind of compensation to expect. “People will prefer to plant one more time, but soybeans may not be available. We will have to see what the government announcements say, “he said.
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