Farmers distressed over delayed seed disbursal

Members of the Tamil Nadu Farmers' Association (TNFA) have urged the government to release horticulture seeds without further delay as the private seed firms had created an artificial demand in the open market.

They have raised doubts on the delay in announcing the tender by the government for purchase of seeds this year. Farmers who approached the district-level horticulture offices were informed that they had run out of stock, says P. Shanmugam, president of TNFA.

Thousands of horticulture famers, who had prepared their fields for planting, were desperate for seeds, he said. "When the district-level offices do not have stock, obviously, this creates an opportune time for private seed firms to sell seeds at high prices," he said.

The 12-acre farmland of P. Balusamy of Chettipatty village in Virudhunagar awaits cotton and chilli seeds. "Two years ago, the government agencies gave us seeds at cheap prices. I bought 1 kg of chilli seeds for Rs 250, whereas the same was sold for Rs 500 in the open market. In the case of cotton seeds, I spent Rs 400 per kg while the same item costs Rs 900 per kg in private stores. I have now engaged people to work on the farm and am experiencing a lot of inconvenience due to the delay in the disbursal of seeds this year," Balusamy said.

Commissioner of horticulture L. Sithrasenan assured farmers that 50,000 kg of seeds had already been stocked at various district horticulture offices for disbursal. "There is no shortage of seeds. We have stocked enough seeds to be distributed.

The tender for 2014 cannot be announced now since the existing tender for seed disbursal is valid till December 2014," he told DC. He said there was no artificial demand in the open market for seeds.