"Sowing may drop by 20 per cent. Crops like wheat, tur and wheat are generally sown in rabi areas, among which wheat is likely to be hit because its seeds are largely distributed by private companies.
"The private retailers are not allowed to accept Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes that are now scrapped. Hence, farmers are facing problems," the officer told PTI.
Maharashtra Chief Secretary Swadhin Kshatriya today issued instructions to state-run seed distribution centres to accept scrapped currency notes of Rs 500.
"I have issued instructions to the official concerned that the scrapped notes should be accepted from farmers buying seeds," he said.
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Explaining the piquant situation on ground, a veteran farmer leader said that the real problem for farmers lies in "halting of transactions" post demonetisation.
"On the other hand, the fertilisers and insecticides
are produced and distributed through private network of suppliers and retailers. These outlets do not accept scrapped currency notes; then how farmers are going to buy fertilisers and insecticides?
"This means (though) farmers can manage to sow but with no boost from fertiliser and preventive protection from insecticides, (it) would lead to drop in production," he said.
"This is a very tricky situation for farmers. Apart from conventional water storage systems, the state claimed to have managed to store additional 24 TMC water through Jalyukta Shivar. It was expected that water availability would boost the sowing activity but the demonetisation decision is now going to affect the rabi crops," Patil added.