: Accusing Punjab Agriculture Minister Tota Singh of being involved in the supply of inferior quality pesticides to cotton farmers, some of whom committed suicide after losses to their crops, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday demanded his sacking and criminal proceedings against him.
AAP alleged that the pesticide supplied to the farmers was not only of inferior quality, but it was also being sold by a “dubious” company following which cotton growers suffered losses due to white-fly disease inflicting their crops, leading to reports suicide by some of them in Punjab.
AAP's Punjab co-convenor Durgesh Pathak claimed that until last year Punjab State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation limited (Markfed), a NAFED-like body would buy pesticides and then supply it in retail market.
“This time, the contract of Rs 33 crore was given to a company named ‘Oberon’ without any tendering process. The pesticide supplied by this company was not even approved and passed by Punjab Agriculture University, which is the usual practice,” he pointed.
“This year, the farmers had to spray pesticide 13-14 times unlike the unusual practice of two-three times. Each spray would cost the farmers Rs 3,300-3,500. As the pesticide was not showing any effect, testing was done by authorities during which it was revealed that it did not meet necessary standards, following which the police started investigating the case,” Pathak said.