Hyderabad: Hyderabad Agriculture Co-operative Association Limited (Haca) has been rapped by the consumer forum after a farmer, Mr C. Vinod Reddy, incurred huge losses due spurious soya bean seeds that were supplied by the association.
Mr Reddy, who has over seven acres of land in Karnji shivar of Tamsi mandal, was growing soya bean for more than 10 years. He sowed seven bags of Soya bean seeds that were produced, developed and marketed by Haca on June 11, 2015, for Rs 14,700. He followed all the usual farm practices.
However, he did not get any yield even after 120 days.
He had got 10 quintals per acre the preceding year. He had to pay Rs 20,000 for labour charges and other incidental expenses, and was expecting Rs 4,000 per quintal.
The complainant told the forum that he was supplied defective, spurious and a substandard variety of soya bean seeds that caused him a lot of mental agony, financial loss and hardship.
He stated that he informed Haca, and agriculture officials rushed to the field and claimed that the lack of yield was due to the unpredictable weather that did not favour germination of seeds.
The consumer forum ruled in favour of the complainant and asked Haca to pay a compensation of Rs 1.4 lakh with an interest of 9 per cent per annum. The forum also ordered Haca to pay charges for damage amounting to Rs 20,000.
