Indore Farmers Cry Foul Over High-Priced Groundnut Seeds, Probe Underway

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Serious allegations of overpricing, coercion and irregularities have surfaced against the Agriculture Department in the Indore division, triggering outrage among farmers and prompting an official inquiry.

Farmers claim that groundnut seeds, which were supposed to be available at a subsidised rate of Rs 1,600, were instead sold for as high as Rs 5,600. Adding to their grievances, they allege that they were forced to purchase additional agricultural inputs along with the seeds, raising suspicions of commission-driven practices within the system.

The issue gained traction after farmer leader Bablu Jadhav lodged a formal complaint in Bhopal. Following this, the authorities constituted a committee to investigate the alleged irregularities and examine the department's functioning in the region.

While the department has maintained that groundnut seeds were distributed free of cost in certain districts of the Indore division, farmers on the ground paint a different picture.

After reports from Sanwer, similar complaints have emerged from Mhow, where nearly 250 to 300 farmers reportedly received substandard seeds. Many farmers claim that the seeds failed to germinate properly, resulting in severe crop losses and, in some cases, the collapse of sowing plans for an entire hectare.