In a bid to check rampant sale of spurious seeds in Jharkhand ahead of this sowing season, the Agriculture Department has fixed the responsibility on the district administration to check illegal sale of seeds in their respective districts. Block level officers have also been asked to ensure that seeds are not sold illegally in weekly markets in the rural areas.
“All the districts have been told that it is their moral responsibility to check such practices in their areas and directed to take action if someone is found selling seeds illegally,” said Agriculture Director Rajiv Kumar. No one in this State could sell seeds without having a license for it, he added.
Kumar further said that the DCs and DAOs have been asked to make surprise inspections regularly to check illegal trade of seeds in their areas.
“Farmers in the villages are also being made aware that they should not get fascinated with the shining packaging of the seeds and must also check whether those are the products of a certified company or not,” said the Director. The department, according to him, was also quite vigilant and has been monitoring the issue closely, he added.
The Director also said that 1,30,800 quintals of seeds for ‘kharif’ crops have already been allotted by the Agriculture Department for districts all over the State and more than 70,000 quintals more to be released very soon in the next 10-12 days.
District Agriculture Officer (DAO) Vikas Kumar also asserted that noose was being tightened around the spurious seed traders and a campaign has been launched here to check its sale in Ranchi.
“We have raided 17 locations with the help of the district administration and have lodged 19 FIRs in this regard and sent 13 people to jail,” said the DAO. Action is also being taken against some of the officials who were found involved in opening the godowns sealed earlier for packaging of spurious seeds, he added.
The DAO said that action was also being taken against loose sale of seeds in the rural areas.
“Sale of seeds, pesticides and fertilizers has to be done at fixed places; hence it could not be sold in the open as licenses are given for wholesale and retail trade. Its sale in the open in weekly markets could not be allowed as it is illegal,” said the DAO. Block Development Officers and Block Agriculture Officers have been asked to check such practices in the rural areas and take proper action if someone was found selling it in the open market, he added.
Meanwhile, to create awareness among the farmers, regular campaigns are being conducted in the rural areas where they are urged to purchase seeds or manures from registered shops only and not from open shops in weekly markets, said the DAO.