Three booked for selling poor quality seeds in Kurukshetra

The Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department has filed a case against the dealer, distributor and producer of a company for allegedly selling substandard seeds.

According to reports, in October 2023, Dr Shishpal Sharma, the Quality Control Inspector from Kurukshetra, collected samples of wheat seeds (DBW 327) from a shop in Shahabad grain market. The bag containing the seeds indicated that the seeds were produced by a company based in Karnal. Later, the quality of the sample was found to be substandard.

Dr Karamchand, the Deputy Director of Agriculture (DDA) in Kurukshetra, said, “After the sample failed the quality test, notices were issued to both the dealer and the producer. While the dealer responded, the producer did not reply despite repeated notices. Further investigation by the Quality Control Inspector revealed that the seeds had been procured from a distributor in Patiala, as indicated by the dealer’s bill.”

“The address on the seed bag referred to a unit in Karnal. When the DDA office in Karnal was asked for information regarding the licence for the unit, they informed us that no such unit existed in Karnal and that no licence had been issued to the suspected company. Consequently, a case has been registered at the Shahabad Police Station under the relevant sections of the Seeds Act, Seeds (Control) Order, the Essential Commodities Act and the IPC,” he added.

The DDA said, “Dealers must ensure that they only sell products from producers who provide all required documents and authorisation letters. Farmers are advised to request a bill when purchasing seeds from dealers.”