Pipariya (Madhya Pradesh): The agriculture department has imposed a ban on the sale of seeds of Krishi Dhan Company after a raid on the firm’s storehouse.
Farmers demanded that there should also be a ban on sale of seeds from the shops of retail sellers.
A team of district administration comprising sub-divisional magistrate, Tehsilder, officials of the agriculture and those of the labour department raided Madhawan and Girdhar Warehouse, near Khaparkheda village on last Thursday.
Some labourers were found packing paddy seeds. The agriculture department took action against the company by imposing a ban on sale of its seeds.
Krishi Vistar officer Nirali Arya said the company where the raid was conducted presented papers after two days of the action.
According to Arya, the company officials said they had stocked 5,200 quintals of paddy seeds on which the agriculture department had imposed ban.
Arya further said that samples of paddy seeds had been sent to the laboratory.
The process for packing the seeds was found suspicious. The management of the company could not show the officials any documents and sought some time for it.
Arya said that further action would be taken after receiving reports from the laboratory.
According to sources, the company buys paddy seeds from local farmers and puts those seeds in attractive packs and sells them to the peasants in the name of high-quality seeds.
Sources further said the company had stocked more seeds than they showed to the administration. When the officials of the agriculture department were asked to tell the reasons for the company’s failure to certify the stock of seeds, they said checking of stock would have taken four days.
The administration came to know that Krishi dhan Company is packing seeds at a warehouse which they have taken on rent.
Despite this, the seed certification officer or the officials of Seeds Corporation never went to the company to collect the samples of seeds. The company has already sold a huge quantity of seeds to the seed sellers of Pipariya-Bankhedi area.
