Action against fake seed complainant, farmers upset

Aparna Banerji

Jalandhar, October 26

Farmers of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Rajewal) today gheraod the office of Chief Agricultural Officer, Jalandhar, Jaswant Singh, alleging biased action by the Agriculture Department in a case of spurious paddy seed in Phillaur and Nurmahal.

I am victim too, used spurious seed

As many as 70 bags of seed were sold by a store in Phillaur. My store bought the seed thinking it was PR-126. When we used it, little did we know it was spurious. I am a victim too. — Baljit Singh Mahal, bku senior leader

Action taken as per report

We received the report today only and cancelled the licence of both the stores. Now farmers want us not to book one of them as he is their leader. We have only acted as per the process. — Jaswant Rai, chief agricultural officer

Farmers held dharna over the cancellation of the licence of the key complainant in the case. Claiming that the due action had been initiated, the department alleged that farmers were protesting because one of their own leaders has been booked in the process.

The matter pertains to the sale of 70 bags of paddy seed, labelled PR-126, sold by a Adda Muai (Phillaur-based store) six to seven months ago. Each of the bags, containing 30-kg seed, was used across 415 to 435 acres of farmland across Phillaur block. While PR-126 is a short-duration paddy variety, farmers alleged they incurred heavy losses as the seed meant to ripen 15 to 20 days before the other varieties failed to do so, upsetting their yearlong farming schedule.

BKU (Rajewal) spokesperson Kashmir Singh said: “Scores of farmers in Phillaur and Nurmahal have incurred huge losses. We have been moving from pillar to post demanding justice. The department has cancelled the licence of the key complainant in the case. We want the licence to be restored. We are not budging until then. If the department fails to do so, we will take to the highway tomorrow.”

Notably, the complainant in question, Baljit Singh Mahal, a senior farmer leader of the BKU Phillaur block, owns Dashmesh Seed Store in Phillaur whose licence has been cancelled.

Mahal, who is BKU (Rajewal), Phillaur, vice-president, said: “The seeds were sold by Krishna Pesticide Store in Phillaur. At least 70 bags were sold by them. My store also bought them thinking they were PR-126. But when we used them they turned out to be spurious. I am a victim too as the seed was sold on false pretext to me. My key profession is farming. I lost acres of crop to the seed. My potato crop is also affected. I am among the key complainants.

The Agriculture Department should act against the perpetrators. Eight to 10 villages have incurred losses.”

Chief Agricultural Officer, Jalandhar, Jaswant Rai said, “The seed was sold by Krishan Pesticide Store at Adda Moai in Phillaur. It was sold to Dashmesh Seed Store in the Akalpur block of Phillaur, which further disbursed it to farmers. We received the report only today and cancelled the licence of both the stores. The SSP has also been asked to take requisite action on the issue. Now farmers ask us not to book one of them as he is their leader. We have only acted as per due process.