SAMBALPUR: With kharif cultivation setting off, the agriculture department is grappling with a situation of distrust among farmers over its facilitation services. Expressing open discontent over poor quality of paddy seeds supplied by the department, farmers are preferring to purchase it from open market, the high prices not withstanding. The department has set a target to cultivate paddy on around two lakh hectare (ha) of land in the district. Around 15,000 quintal of seeds is required in the district for the kharif season. But the offtake of seeds is very low.
Convener of Paschim Odisha Krushak Sangathan Samanwaya Samiti (POKSSS) Ashok Pradhan said seeds provided to farmers were unsuitable for western Odisha. There is a vast difference between the cropping pattern and time frame between the farmers of costal belt and western Odisha. But the decision on the variety of seeds is taken by an executive body in Bhubaneswar which takes into consideration the requirement of farmers in the coastal belt of the State.
The department should take into consideration factors like land type and climate before choosing the variety of seeds for sale to farmers. He said the department should also conduct surveys and take feedback from farmers in this regard, he said. Further, farmers usually start preparations for kharif season during the last phase of procurement of rabi crops. While the majority of farmers have already sown the seeds, others have started ploughing their land in the district.
Pradhan said farmers are buying seeds from private vendors as they running out of time as the agriculture department is yet to provide them seeds as per their requirement. Meanwhile, the department is likely to take more time to provide customised seeds to the farmers as the preparatory meeting with the district administration is yet to be held. “This year, some new varieties of seeds will be provided but their rates have not been fixed yet and this has been causing the delay,” sources said. An official of the Agriculture department said the process of providing seeds to farmers was delayed due to cyclone Fani this year.
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