Tenant Farmers Association asks Associated Press government to ensure high-quality seed supply

The Tenant Farmers Association in Andhra Pradesh requires the state government to ensure that the Kharif season begins in the first week of June, so that tenant farmers can provide tenants with high-quality seeds.

Association President A. Katamaiah and Secretary General P. Jamalaiah in a statement Sunday asked the state government to announce the immediate development of a plan of tillage action and to ensure certified quality seeds are provided for all necessary crops. They say private seed companies are too expensive to make a profit, and in many areas, in the last Kharif season, the companies sold unqualified and adulterated seeds, cheating farmers.

They urged the Ministry of Agriculture to inspect institutions and private seed stores and take strict action to prevent the circulation of forged seeds. Legal action should be taken to challenge companies and store owners who deceive farmers by producing and selling adulterated seeds. They said that if necessary, they demanded the use of the Prevention of Dangerous Activities Act (PD Act) to curb such threats.

According to the Department of Agriculture estimates, the state planted about 8.565 million acres of land each year. Of these, 3.475 million acres are rice fields, 1.48 billion acres of peanuts, 14.67 billion acres of cotton, 900,000 acres of beans, and the rest are corn, green g, black g and other crops. Based on these estimates, the government usually prepares seed stocks in advance.

“However, AP Seeds Corporation reportedly failed to prepare well this year. Seed vendors are said to be reluctant to provide delays to AP Seeds due to outstanding dues in previous years,” they said. With this in mind, the Tenant Farmers Association requires government intervention urgently and provide comprehensive subsidies to all crops.