Agriculture Department conducts drive to check sale of poor quality seeds and fertilisers

To curb sale of poor quality seeds and fertilisers, Madhya Pradesh Agriculture Department conducted a drive to check quality of the two farming products and also took punitive measures against companies.

"The drive was launched to check quality of seeds and fertilisers and the department took punitive measures including registration of an FIR, termination of licences, suspension of trading licence, issuing show cause notices and prohibiting their sale," Agriculture Department's principal secretary, Rajesh Rajora, told PTI on Sunday.

"The show cause notices were issued to 17 seed producing companies, licence of seven were suspended, in three cases it was terminated and in one case, an FIR was filed," Rajora said. The poor or fake quality seeds affects overall foodgrain production and also cause financial burden on the farmers, who normally borrow money for sowing crop from the money lenders, he said.

Under the drive undertaken this month, a total of 93 seed samples were collected from seed producing companies during the drive from Barwani, Agar, Hoshangabad, Indore and Betul districts, the official said, adding action was taken against them under the Seed Act.

Similarly, show cause notices were issued against 56 companies for selling poor quality fertilisers and prohibited their sale, 11 dealer licences were cancelled, a single licence was terminated and six FIR's were filed. In this connection, a total of 74 samples were collected during the drive undertaken at Neemuch, Sehore, Betul, Guna, Rajgarh, Barwani, Shajapur, Indore, Burhanpur, Khandwa, Dhar, Raisen, Mandsaur and Harda districts, he said.

The samples were tested at laboratories in Indore, Bhopal Jabalpur and Gwalior, he said, adding action were taken under the Fertiliser Control Order, which is part of Essential Commodities Act.