BIDAR: Farmers in Bidar are caught in a trap as the prices of major foodgrains such as green gram and black gram have gone up. Farmers are unable to make a profit as the yield has been affected. Farmers' organisations complain that low quality seeds provided by the Government is the reason for this.

"Crops on large tracts of land have been destroyed in all five taluks in the district. Farmers who purchased seeds from the Government are suffering," Rajappa Sharanappa, member of the Raitha Kooli Sangha in Aurad, said.

"There are many farmers who used home-grown seeds alongside those provided by the Government. If you stand in such a field, you can see the difference. The native variety has produced robust crop, while the hybrid seed has either not sprouted or has poor yield," Narayanappa Neerne, member of the Tur Growers Association, said. He said he had lost Rs. 30,000 on purchase of seeds and inputs for his five-hectare field. "Now that the crop is lost, I can never make up for it," he added.

Farmers feel they have been cheated by the Government. The Government made them give up the age-old habit of saving seeds for the next season and now when they have lost the crop, government officials are saying that losses arising out of use of fake seeds are not covered under the crop insurance scheme. "We have nowhere to go," Sharanappa Muchalambi, a member of the Karnataka Pranta Rajya Raitha Sangha, said.

Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha State unit president Basavaraj Tambake said this was a Statewide problem. "We have estimated that fake seeds have been distributed in 144 of the 175 taluks in the State. We have written to the Government to compensate the losses suffered by farmers. We have also asked for a total waiver of crop loans taken by farmers in the State," he added. The crop insurance system was unscientific and the Government should change it completely. "Insurance cover should be provided for every crop. Crop loss for any reason should be compensated. The Government should pay insurance premiums," he added.

Minister for Agriculture and district in-charge Bandeppa Kashempur said the delayed in arrival of monsoon was to blame and not the quality of seeds.

He denied supplying low-quality seeds. "We have involved the Karnataka Seed Certification Corporation in the process of selecting companies to supply seeds," he said.

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