Measures against spurious seeds pay off as sale declines in Telangana

HYDERABAD:  The sale of spurious seeds in the State has declined considerably on account of the raids conducted by the special task force teams of the Police and Agriculture Departments, said Agriculture Minister Niranjan Reddy on Saturday.

In a meeting with DGP M Mahender Reddy and other officials, Niranjan Reddy said he was satisfied with the efforts of the two departments in mitigating the spurious seed menace in Telangana. 

The police have registered 209 cases against 320 persons and seized 6,511 quintals of spurious seeds so far this year. Four persons have been detained under the PD Act, said Mahender Reddy.

The Agriculture Minister said that most of the repeat offenders were from Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. He told officials that their focus must be on such offenders and not innocent farmers.

“Do not register cases against farmers for small mistakes that can be rectified and avoided. Educate dealers and manufacturing companies about mistakes that can be corrected. Strict action should be taken against anyone who commits the same mistakes, causing losses to farmers,” Niranjan Reddy said.

 “The measures taken by the Police Department have helped significantly reduce the sale of spurious seeds in the State. PD Act should also be invoked against habitual offenders who transport and sell spurious seeds from other States. Detailed reports on the experiences, observations and suggestions encountered during the enforcement of spurious seed prevention are necessary in dealing with the menace more effectively,” said the DGP.