Strict action against those involved in sale of spurious seeds & fertilisers

Mysuru: State agriculture minister B C Patil on Tuesday said his department will file cheating cases against the agencies/individuals involved in the sale of spurious seeds, chemicals, fertilisers to farmers.
He was speaking to reporters while chairing the Mysuru divisional level progress review meeting held at zilla panchayat here on Tuesday.
The department has already constituted a vigilance cell to check the sale of spurious seeds, fertilisers and chemicals. The cell has already filed 276 cases after raiding various agencies and fertiliser shops. Of them, the court has convicted the culprits involved in more than 26 cases. The vigilance had also collected a penalty amount of Rs 15.5 lakh from them.
The department has also cancelled the license of 22 fertilisers, chemicals shops and suspended 215 licenses for violating government norms.
With the monsoon activities gearing up, the department has stocked enough seeds and fertilisers. Instructions have been given to all officers attached to the agriculture department to ensure the distribution to farmers. Instructions have also been given to officials and vigilance squads to suspend license, file a case against agencies involved in selling DAP variety fertilisers at exorbitant prices against the price fixed by the government.
Dispelling rumours of the scarcity of DAP variety fertiliser, he said some farmers had stocked this variety of fertiliser in advance. Department has also taken tough action against the accused involved in the production of fake fertilisers after carrying out raids at Nanjangud and other places.
Patil also inaugurated the joint director office of agriculture divisional level vigilance squad cell opened at District Agriculture Training Centre at Naganahalli along with district minister ST Somashekhar and MLA G T Devegowda.