•CONCERNED CHIEF AGRICULTURE OFFICER TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE IF ANYONE FOUND SELLING UNAUTHORISED SEEDS, SAYS AGRICULTURE MINISTER
•Appoint Nodal Officers to closely monitor & prevent the entry of spurious seeds from neighbouring states
Chandigarh, March 28:
In the wake of forthcoming Kharif season, Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Friday, ordered strict action against the sale of spurious cotton and unauthorized hybrid paddy seeds. The move aims to protect farmers from fraudulent practices and ensure their financial security.
S. Khudian, along with Admin Secretary Agriculture Dr. Basant Garg, was presiding over a high-level VC meeting with all the Chief Agriculture Officers (CAOs) and Joint Directors to review the ongoing projects here at Punjab Civil Secretariat’s committee room.
“If unauthorised hybrid paddy seeds are found being sold in any district, the concerned Chief Agriculture Officer will be held responsible and strict action will be followed,” S. Khudian warned, while instructing all CAOs to take swift and decisive action against those involved in the production and distribution of spurious cotton seeds, besides conducting raids on suspected warehouses and shops, confiscating illegal stocks of seeds and pursuing legal action against offenders.
S. Khudian directed CAOs in border districts to appoint Nodal Officers to closely monitor and prevent the entry of spurious seeds from neighbouring states. He stressed that only certified and authorised paddy and cotton seeds should be available for sale to farmers in the market.
Emphasising the importance of protecting farmers from fraudulent practices that can lead to crop failure, financial losses, and overall decline in agricultural productivity, S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian asked the Agriculture officials to launch an awareness campaign to educate farmers about the dangers of using spurious seeds and to encourage them to purchase only certified seeds recommended by PAU from authorised dealers.
Under the quality control drive in FY 2024-25, Director Agriculture Jaswant Singh apprised the Agriculture Minister said that the department had collected 4465 pesticide samples, of which 116 were found substandard. Consequently, 116 licenses have been cancelled and five FIRs were registered. Similarly, 3592 fertiliser samples were collected, with 96 found substandard, leading to the cancellation of 102 licenses and the registration of eight FIRs. Furthermore, 5218 seed samples were collected, and 137 failed the quality test, prompting appropriate action.
To further strengthen the department, the Agriculture Minister directed all the district chiefs to send vacancies and promotion cases of their districts at the earliest.
