Farmers of Maharashtra are facing problem of early germination failure at present. Although sowing commenced early in the state this year but due to poor or inferior seed quality, the farmers in a dilemma regarding fate of the crop grown in their fields. In few cases, seeds are unable to germinate owing to insufficient moisture available in the soil. One positive point is that this problem is confined mainly to few Talukas of particular districts. There are complaints from complains some talukas of Yavatmal, Beed, Ahmednagar, Osmanabad and Pune.
Soyabean is a major Kharif crop of the Country. Maharashtra leads the production and there are reports of area covered between 40 to 42 lakh hectares. Soybean is the second-largest crop in the state after cotton and gives good returns to the farmers almost every year. The crop had given decent returns in the previous season as well. As per state Agriculture Ministry more than 1000 farmers have file complaints, regarding non-germination of the soybean seeds. Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Mr. Dada Sahab Bhuse told media persons that legal actions will be taken against all those, including the state agencies, if it is proved after investigation, that there was supply of inferior quality seeds to the farmers. Timely onset of the monsoons was encouraging for the farmers go for early sowing, especially in Marathwada and Vidarbha. The oilseed is sown in June and harvested October with the oil marketing year lasting till next September.
Seed manufacturers the lockdown, as one of the main causes as it adversely impacted the process of certifying seeds. Therefore, most seeds were sold under the satisfactory quality labels. Most farmers are now demanding government interventions now, so as to get the matter resolved. Until the spot surveys are completed, farmers cannot even remove the failed seeds and re-sow. Due to falling trust about quality of seeds, farmers who are still having some quantity of soybean seed are considering whether they should attempt for sowing again or simply return to the stores. Sources say that primary estimations reveal nearly 50 per cent of area planted under soyabean in Parbhani and Hingoli could be affected from the inferior quality seeds.
Dadasaheb Bhuse, Maharathra’s Agriculture Minister planned a tour after hearing complaints of seed quality, especially in Marathwada, for a surprise inspection. The minister added that a committee had also been constituted to look into the complaints of soybean farmers, and in this regard the Parbhani Agriculture University has been given responsibility to probe over the matter and find out the reasons of non-germination of soybean seed. The minister also made an important appeal to the farmers not to rush for early sowing, unless rainfall is full-fledged in the state. This is because any hasty decision for sowing can bear serious affect over crop yields. Often there is delay in next phase of rainfall after the first spell of rain showers.
