Sowing begins, HSDC yet to decide wheat seed price

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Fatehabad, October 22

The Haryana Seed Development Corporation (HSDC) is still to start the sale of wheat seed though sowing of the crop has already begun, forcing farmers to buy seed from private dealers.

Farmers’ unions allege that the HSDC has deliberately delayed the sale of seed to benefit private manufacturers. “The delay is because the HSDC is still to decide the selling price for wheat seed. Also, it is yet to decide which fungicide, if any, is to be supplied for diseases such as flag smut and loose smut,” says Rajinder Beniwal, Director, HSDC.

Wheat is grown on 25.4 lakh hectares in the state and its sowing begins around October-end. Farmers, however, purchase wheat seed much earlier, normally when their cotton or paddy crop is procured.

Beniwal and another HSDC director Bhagwan Dass Verma say farmers have been asking them when the corporation will start selling wheat seed, but they have no answer to their queries.

The two claim the HSDC has delayed the sale of seed for the third year in a row, affecting the business of the corporation that is running in losses.

RS Solanki, Managing Director, HSDC, says seed sale will begin in the next couple of days. “The government has already decided to offer the seed for Rs2,100 per quintal. We will hold a meeting tomorrow to fix the rate of the seed as approved by the government,” he adds.

As for the fungicide, Solanki says the Agriculture Department has given the HSDC options of carboxin, carbendazim and tebuconzole with a rider that it should be generic, cheapest in the market and registered with the Central Insecticide Board and Registration Committee.

“We have already floated tenders for the purchase of fungicide. Its sale will start tomorrow as well,” Solanki says.

Past imperfect

Earlier, the HSDC had wasted 4,200 quintals of moong seed worth Rs 4.8 crore because it was produced in excess. This year, an entire lot of desi cotton seed was wasted because the HSDC  had failed to fix its price.

Figure it out

25.4 lakh hectares 
Likely area under wheat

2.25 lakh quintals 
Quantity of wheat seed to be sold