With cotton sowing season getting underway, cotton growers of Punjab and Haryana are facing ‘severe’ shortage of Bt cotton seeds, leading to its black marketing, though the state authorities claim there is adequate availability to meet the total area requirements.
Seed sellers and commission agents known as ‘arthiyas’ are selling Bt cotton seeds at higher price than the approved rates, the farmers alleged.
“We are not getting Bt cotton seeds as there is a huge shortage of seeds across the state in Haryana that has led to its black marketing,” a Sirsa-based grower Prahlad Singh said today.
Despite state authorities have strictly asked seed sellers to issue bill to farmers against any sale of seed, farmers have accused seeds dealers of overcharging for Bt cotton seeds.
“Even if seeds are available, farmers are being charged between Rs 1,800-2,000 per packet against the approved rate of Rs 1,000 per packet. Seed dealers take money in advance from us, obviously the higher rate and then issue the bill of only approved rate. If any farmer confronts then they refuse to give seed,” Singh alleged.
The price of Bt-I and Bt-II variety stands at Rs 825 per packet of 450 gm and Rs 1,000 per packet respectively.
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“In most of the cases, farmers do not lodge any complaint against Arthiya for overcharging as he does not want to put him (arthiya) into trouble because he (arthiya) lends money to him to meet his requirements,” said an official on the condition of anonymity. Notably, both the states have asked cotton growers to lodge complaints with concerned officers if they are being overcharged.
However, state authorities attributed cotton growers’ woes to huge demand from farmers for a select Bt cotton seed varieties.
“Farmers are scrambling for Bt cotton seed varieties like 6488, 6588, Bunty, JK 1947 as these varieties give higher yield and were not attacked by leaf curl virus and white fly last season,” Punjab, Joint Director (Cotton) JS Bains said.