Excelsior Correspondent
KATHUA, June 25: The farmers of Kathua held a protest demonstration against the Agriculture Department, Kathua which has totally failed to maintain a check on seed sellers in the market who are supplying substandard seed to them due to which the paddy nursery has been totally damaged and they were put to heavy loss.
Number of farmers assembled in paddy field and lodged strong protest against Agriculture Department Kathua. They raised anti Government slogans. The protestors including the Shashu Pal, Bodh Raj , Raj Singh , Mulkh Raj and Parkesh Singh alleged that the Agriculture Department has failed to help the farmers in paddy cultivation.
They alleged that the poor farmers purchased the paddy seed of No 1121 with highest price of Rs 80 per kg. But paddy saplings which grew out of it were fully damaged and did not germinate properly. The farmers were put huge loss, they added.
They said the local seed sellers sell sub standard paddy seed to farmers. They said that the Agricultural Department did not check the seed and pesticide sellers as duplicate and sub standard seed , pesticide and other agriculture based insecticides are openly sold in Kathua by seed sellers without any fear on higher price. The result is that paddy nursery is not able to germinate properly.
They said that the farmers have made paddy fields ready for transplantation of the nursery. But nursery is not up to mark. In such circumstances how a farmer survives as he has no other option of cultivation.
The farmers accused the Agriculture Department for this loss as the department failed to arrange better quality of paddy seeds to farmers. The Agriculture Department supplied the seed to only approachable farmers and not to common farmers. They asked the Agriculture Department to bear this loss, otherwise they will comes on the road.
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