Hyderabad: A group of farmers in Telangana’s Khammam protested on Friday, March 20, as fake paddy seeds were allegedly being sold to them.
The sit-in protest was held in front of the Venkataramana Fertilizer Shop in Sathupalli town. The farmers alleged they were tricked under the pretext of purchasing seeds.
They alleged that the seeds they purchased for paddy cultivation were of substandard quality and counterfeit. Distressed over the situation, the protesting farmers said that almost 500 acre of agricultural land were adversely affected.
In a video shared online, one of the farmers said, “We had achieved yields of up to 50 bags per acre last year. This year, due to the fake seeds, we have already incurred a financial loss of up to Rs 35,000 per acre, in addition to the severe negative impact on our crops.”
The farmers demanded immediate action against the shop that sold the fake seeds.
Another farmer spoke about the impact of substandard ethanol being sold to them and said, “On Monday, we bought the paddy seeds from Venkataramana Fertilizer Shop. The shop had two varieties of ethanol and when we asked which one was better, the shopkeeper suggested we buy the expensive one at Rs 1300.”
However, upon receiving less yield, the farmer said that those who purchased ethanol for Rs 950 got a better yield than him. He urged the government to look into the matter and resolve the crop production issues of the farmers.
Another farmer alleged that when he threatened to expose the shopkeepers over poor quality ethanol, the latter did not pay heed.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Mohammed Baleegh | 
