Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Dec 23, 2007
ePaper
Online edition of India's National Newspaper Sunday, Dec 23, 2007 ePaper |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Andhra Pradesh |
|
News:
ePaper |
Front Page |
National |
Tamil Nadu |
Andhra Pradesh |
Karnataka |
Kerala |
New Delhi |
Other States |
International |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Engagements |
Advts: Retail Plus | Classifieds | Jobs | Obituary |
Andhra Pradesh
Some companies just have a registration and start producing seeds One is not sure about the genuineness of the seeds produced WARANGAL: Private companies make a kill by fleecing gullible farmers to the tune of Rs. 50 to Rs. 60 crore annually by selling ordinary and quite often spurious seed. The cotton seed which is sown in an extent of 3.5 lakh acres in the district is entirely sold by private companies at the rate of around Rs. 750 per packet. The companies sell an average of five lakh packets a year. Similarly, maize is sown in an extent of 1.5 lakh acres and each packet is sold at Rs. 300 and the chilly is sown in about 25,000 acres and one seed packet is prices at Rs. 3,000. Majority of the private companies make good money and some have even entered the food crop market, selling paddy and vegetable seeds. Private companies are thriving in the agriculture sector as government agencies do not enjoy good reputation with the farming community. Some fly-by-night operators have also entered the market to make the most of opportunities available. Vanishing actMost of the companies sell the seed and vanish. They do not have extension activity, do not tell the farmer about the varietals character of seeds, keep the farmers in dark about the susceptibility of seed to different pests and diseases. Furthermore farmers are not educated about the seeds provided. When contacted, assistant director of regional Agricultural Research Station (ARS), L Jalapathi said most of the times, farmers sow wrong seed in wrong soils thus leading to heavy losses and distress. “Crop failures are on account of lack of education among the farmers. They should be taught about the characters of varieties and timely advice on susceptibility should be given which is not happening at present,” he said. One is not sure of the authenticity of the seeds as most of the companies just have a registration and start producing seeds. Compared to the public research laboratories, the private companies do not have the adequate research and development (R&D) facilities. Eyeing profitsSenior officials in the district administration point out that the results of research in public sector were not reaching the farmers and the funding to the laboratories had come down drastically over the years. “As the government for various reasons slowly disowns the responsibilities, the private sector companies were taking over the role eyeing the profits in the sector,” a senior officer pointed.
Printer friendly
page
News:
ePaper |
Front Page |
National |
Tamil Nadu |
Andhra Pradesh |
Karnataka |
Kerala |
New Delhi |
Other States |
International |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Engagements |
|
|
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | The Hindu ePaper | Business Line | Business Line ePaper | Sportstar | Frontline | Publications | eBooks | Images | Home |
Copyright © 2007, The
Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu
|
