Three years on, farmers yet to get seed dues

BHUBANESWAR: Registered farmers of Bargarh district are waiting for more than three years to get their dues for their certified seeds they had supplied to the State Government under sub-mission for seed and planting material (SMSP) of the National Mission on Agricultural Extension and Technology (NMAET) programme.

Though the Odisha State Seeds Corporation (OSSC) claimed to have utilised `13.32 crore till 2016-17 rabi season out of `16 crore released by the Agriculture Department in 2014-15 under Seed Village programme, farmers of five blocks in Bargarh district have petitioned Agriculture Minister Pradeep Maharathy for payment of their dues.

Under the scheme, the Centre provides 75 per cent financial assistance for production of certified oil seeds in one acre per farmer while the balance cost is shared by the State.

However, the farmers who have purchased foundation groundnut seeds from OSSC for multiplication to certified seeds under the centrally sponsored programme have not received their dues from the State Government since 2014-15.

In their petition to the Minister, the farmers said they purchased groundnut seeds from the corporation at a cost of `4000 per quintal in 2014. The subsidy amount of `2,600 per quintal has not been paid to them till date.

In 2015, the subsidy amount of `4,295 per quintal for groundnut seed has not been released. The cost of the seed was `6,095 per quintal. They have further complained that the State Seeds Corporation has not released their dues towards the cost of the breeder seeds from 2009 to 2013.

Farmers representatives of Gaisilat, Barpalli, Paikamal, Padampur and Sohela blocks met the Minister last week and requested him to direct the corporation for payment of their dues at the earliest.

The objective of the scheme was to improve the availability of quality seeds to the farmers at a reasonable price in a time bound manner to improve the seed replacement rate. The Minister has directed the Managing Director of OSSC to conduct an inquiry into the matter and submit a report within a week.

“As the allegation is a matter of concern, a detailed inquiry may be caused into it and a factual report be furnished at the earliest,” the Minister said.