HYDERABAD: With inter-state gangs indulging in transporting spurious seeds from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka to Telangana, district police officials, as an effective measure to contain it, are appointing farmers as informers, who will keep track of businessmen supplying spurious seeds.
Working on a tip-off from farmers, the district police raided several godowns in Guntur and seized spurious seeds from there. Nalgonda police have detained repeat offenders under the PD Act.
A farmer Anjaiah (name changed) from Nalgonda district said that he noticed several businessmen coming to his village and conducting a meeting with farmers to sell cotton and paddy seeds that were brought from Andhra Pradesh.
Prior to the incident, the police visited the same village and asked the locals against purchasing seeds from unknown persons and to do so only from certified fertilizer shops.
"As the state government has decided to put an end to this menace, we have started cracking the whip on inter-state offenders, who transport spurious seeds from Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. We are getting in touch with local farmers seeking information about illegal activities, especially the sale of spurious seeds," a senior police officer said, adding that there was nothing wrong in appointing farmers as informers when the intention is to prevent such illegal activities in the interiors.
Narketpally police on June 14 seized spurious seeds worth Rs 1.80 crore. These seeds were bought from Karnataka and were shifted to Dachepally from where they were supposed to be sent to Nagpur.
“They were examined by agriculture department officials and found that these seeds were BG 3 and sent samples to a DNA seed testing lab located at Malakpet in the city. The seized cotton seeds Herbicide Tolerant (HT) Bt cotton are not approved,” said an officer.
June 19, 2023: Manakondur police arrest two persons for selling spurious seeds.
June 14: Narketpally police arrest three persons for carrying 200 bags of spurious seeds worth Rs 1.80 crore.
June 8, 2023: Warangal police arrest 15 persons and seize spurious seeds worth Rs 2 crore.
May 31: Munugode police arrest two persons for transporting two quintals of seeds worth Rs 10 lakh.
