Hyderabad: In a significant case, 26 farmers from Kurnool have won a major battle against seed giant Syngenta India Limited and local distributors in consumer forum.
The Kurnool district consumer forum has asked the seed companies to pay compensation to farmers for failure of crop based on the witness of agriculture scientists who testified that the seeds have poor fertility rate.
The case also highlights lack of DNA lab in AP to test quality of seeds.
T. Salanna a resident of Mandlam in Jupadu Bungalow mandal in Kurnool district, one of the 26 complainants, filed the case against Syngenta India Limited, Sainath Seeds, Pallavai Hybrid seeds of Nandikotkur demanding compensation of Rs 1.11 lakh plus interest.
“I own 2.4 acres fertile land, suitable for sunflower crop. All necessary precautions for sowing, and for proper growth of crop were taken applying necessary fertiliser and necessary pesticide.
I spent of Rs15,000 per acre for raising the sunflower crop. But there was no grain filling in the flower heads and thus no yield from the crop,” alleged Salanna.
He lodged a complaint with department of agriculture and a team of scientists from Regional Agriculture Research Station, Nandyal, inspected the field of Subbanna Goud as a sample field.
Their finding clearly established that the seed supplied was defective.
Syngenta and others argued that raising of crop and getting good yield was not dependent only on seeds, but also on other factors like agricultural practises and procedure, environment etc.
The company claimed that after conducting germination test and genetic purity, it was satisfied that there was no fault in genetic purity and germination of the seeds. The company also said that no DNA test reports were produced by the complainant.
However, the consumer forum ruled in favour of farmer after being convinced with the evidence and directed the seed defendants to Rs 51,660 to Salanna with interest of 9 per cent and Rs 5,000 towards deficiency and Rs 2,000 towards costs. Other farmers also got compensation ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh depending on the extent of acres.
