Paddy seed shortage adds to flood woes of farmers

KENDRAPARA: Reeling under the losses caused by cyclone Yaas, a large number of farmers in the coastal district are now staring at an uncertain fate in absence of sufficient paddy seeds for kharif cultivation.Farmers complained that the district agriculture office is yet to supply the seeds though monsoon is round the corner.

Abinash Swain, a farmer of Gobindapur village, said, “I had sown paddy over two acres of land last month. But the cyclone-induced floods washed away all the seeds. I am in desperate need of paddy seeds now but the government seed supply centres in all the nine blocks of the district are without sufficient stock.”

Sources said farmers had started cultivation work on the occasion of ‘Akshay Tritiya’ on May 25 with the hope of a high yield. But now, they are worried due to the short supply of paddy seeds. Secretary of the district Krushak Sabha Umesh Chandra Singh said traders of Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and other neighbouring states used to supply seeds to farmers. But the Covid lockdown has become a roadblock for many businessmen to reach Odisha. The authorities should immediately provide them with sufficient seeds, he added.

Besides, it is alleged that the price of seeds has soared in the open market due to an unholy nexus between traders and agriculture officials. Madhaba Das, a farmer of Gandakhia, claimed that the official price of certified paddy seeds is `1,950 to `2,253 per quintal. But  farmers are being forced to purchase sub-standard seeds from the market at `2,400 to `2,500 due to the short supply.

Chief district agriculture officer Ashok Mahasuar said farmers of Kendrapara raise paddy over 1,24,600 hectare of land each year for which they need around 49,840 quintal seeds. So far, the district agriculture office has received only 5,000 quintal paddy seeds from  the Odisha Seed Corporation (OSC). 

“All farmers do not need seeds from the Agriculture department as some of them preserve seeds in their homes. But this season, many farmers have lost their stocked paddy seeds in the cyclone and flood. We have decided to get more seeds from the OSC for supply to the flood-hit farmers. Currently, we are selling paddy seeds through 118 primary cooperative societies in the district, Mahasuar added.