Virus sows seeds of worry for Odisha farmers

JAGATSINGHPUR: Delay in processing of paddy seeds due to the lockdown has left thousands of farmers of the district in a lurch. Of the three paddy seed processing units in Jagatsinghpur, one is run by Odisha State Seeds Corporation at Tirtol, another by a private agency Live and Let Live (LALL) at Raghunathpur and the other by Trupti Seed Producer at Tirtol. All the three units have been closed due to the lockdown.

Usually, farmers supply their foundation seeds to these processing units at the Government approved rate. Later, samples of these seeds are sent to the State Seed Testing Laboratory (SSTL), Bhubaneswar. Before sending the samples to SSTL, the processing units clean and grade the seeds by their the shape and size. The processing of seeds requires a minimum of 45 days.

Secretary of LALL Khetramohan Behera said every year, the unit procures nearly 4,000 quintal of foundation seeds from local farmers. This year before the lockdown came into force, the unit had already processed 3,000 quintal of seeds. “The rest 1,000 quintal is stocked in our unit as the administration has shut down the facility. The processing of paddy seeds has been completely paralysed in this district due to the coronavirus crisis,” he said.

Even if the remaining seeds are processed after the lockdown is lifted, it will be difficult to provide certified seeds to farmers in May. Behera said, “Farmers generally start sowing paddy from the date of the agrarian festival of Akshya Tritiya, which falls on April 25 this year. It is difficult to supply certified seeds within this period due to the current situation. We have requested the district administration to permit the units to resume operation in order to ensure delivery of certified seeds to farmers before June,” he added.
Sisir Pattnaik, a farmer of Jainabaj under Raghunathpur block, said, “I have given nearly 40 quintal of foundation seeds to the local processing unit to get certified seeds for paddy cultivation over four 4 acre of land.

The delay in processing would affect sowing of seeds in May and June, thereby impacting the production.” Other farmers said if the situation doesn’t normalise soon, they would be forced to sow old seeds which will lead to low yield. Chief District Agriculture Officer Rabi Narayan Mohapatra said steps are being taken to allow the seed processing units to resume operation in the interest of farmers.