Wilted soybean plot in Beed tehsil of Marathwada region
The hearings are part of the department’s process to examine more than 22,000 complaints of poor soybean seed germination received across the state in July. Following the complaints, 85 FIRs were registered against seed companies in parts of Marathwada and Vidarbha. A seed lot can comprise around 200 quintals, and companies have argued that if the same lot performed well on other farms, poor germination in individual cases could have been caused by factors such as improper handling, excessive sowing depth or other farm-level practices. Poor germination subsequently forced many growers to undertake resowing, increasing their cultivation expenditure by around 30%. Another farmer, Sunil Bhure from Latur, said he had spent around Rs 40,000 on the first sowing but was now expecting less than 10% returns from the resown crop.
Because of the late arrival of the monsoon, farmers first had to delay sowing. Because of prolonged rainfall gaps in major soybean-growing districts of Marathwada and Vidarbha, the crop has now suffered another setback. Because they did not want to waste their time, thousands of farmers did not even come forward to lodge complaints. Because such inspections were often carried out after a considerable delay, nagpur-based farmer activist Vijay Jawandhia said seed companies were likely to find shortcomings in agriculture department panchanamas. Because the Mahabeej seeds I purchased from the market did not germinate,” said Rangnath Bhise, a farmer from Jalna, i had to sow the crop twice.
Companies have also argued that in some cases, only two or three farmers from a particular seed lot complained of poor germination, while other farmers who had purchased seeds from the same lot reported normal germination.
Officials said hearings were necessary to examine the complaints, the field-level findings and the stand of the companies before taking any action. We have not taken any decision on the matter yet,” Sunil Borkar, director of quality control and inputs in the state agriculture department, said. Officials involved in the process said some companies had indicated their willingness to compensate affected farmers. I can’t divulge further details about it at this stage,” Borkar said. Otherwise, there were several instances of poor germination this year,” said Vilas Tathod, a farmer activist from Akola. Companies should consider these practical aspects rather than shifting the responsibility to farmers and agriculture officials and should compensate affected growers,” he said. Agriculture department officials, however, said they could not impose penalties or order compensation merely on the basis of complaints. “We cannot simply impose a fine or ask companies to pay compensation unless the complaints are legally established with scientific evidence,” officials said. It is not acceptable,” he said.
Pune: Several soybean seed companies facing complaints of poor germination have questioned the findings recorded in panchanamas conducted by agriculture officials, arguing that the reports do not contain sufficient details to establish that the seeds were responsible for crop failure. The objections were raised during hearings conducted by Directorate of Quality Assurance and Inputs of Maharashtra agriculture department over the past few weeks. Representatives of some companies have questioned the manner in which panchanamas were conducted by agriculture officials. One of their key objections is that the exact sowing dates were not mentioned in some reports. “We have completed the hearings of seven seed manufacturing companies against whom the maximum complaints were received from farmers. These companies have raised objections over the panchanamas conducted by agriculture officials in the respective areas. We are examining and scrutinising these reports. The department is also studying previous cases and court judgments to determine the nature and quantum of compensation that can be ordered. “We are studying past cases and court verdicts to understand what kind of compensation companies had given to farmers in the past. Based on that, we can order the companies. The controversy comes at a particularly difficult time for soybean growers in Maharashtra. Farmers in several areas fear that the final yield could fall to less than one quintal per acre. Farmer activists, however, have rejected the argument that poor germination in individual fields should automatically be attributed to farmers’ practices. “Why would farmers lie when they know that the chances of getting compensation are minimum even after registering complaints? It is unfortunate that farmers have to face this situation. “Most farmers did not have the time to preserve or produce evidence. They had to complete sowing within the available window. They are also not aware of the requirements related to panchanamas and evidence. For many affected farmers, the ongoing hearings have added to their frustration. “Why would I lie? “Instead of understanding our real problems, companies are now denying our complaints.
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