CRACKDOWN BEGINS TO STOP BLACK MARKETING OF SEEDS IN PRAYAGRAJ

PRAYAGRAJ : Teams formed by the district administration are conducting surprise inspections of retail sellers of seeds to ensure that farmers get quality seeds on minimum rates and no black marketing of seeds take places during the Rabi crop sowing season.

The surprise raids have been carried out under different officials in Handia, Phulpur, Sadar, Bara, Soraon, Karchhana, Meja and Koraon tehsils ever since the teams started their work on November 25.

Action is also being taken against those found involved in black marketing of seeds or selling them on higher rates than fixed by the government.

Action was taken on the orders of the government after regular complaints of anomalies in selling of seeds to farmers and their black marketing and stockpiling were received.

Confirming it, district agriculture officer Ashwani Kumar Singh said the teams had so far carried out raids at establishments of different big and small stockists and retailers in different tehsils of the district.

In total, 61 raids have been carried out during which samples of different rabi crops were collected from 41 stockists, retailers and other establishments.

Notices were issued to five stockists and licence of one of them was cancelled after large scale anomalies were found in its records and stocks, Singh added.

The order clearly instructs the teams to take strict action including lodging FIRs, issuing notices, sealing godowns and even cancellation of licence if anomalies are found in their records.

“Meanwhile, farmers are being asked to purchase seeds from authorised stockists, samitis and retailers and immediately report to officials in case they come across any anomalies in quality of seeds or are being given the seeds on more than the fixed rates,” Singh added.