Amravati: A criminal case has been registered against a private company for selling fake soybean seeds to farmers during the Kharif season.As per the report from the Seed Testing Laboratory in Nagpur, seven samples of the company’s seeds were found to be substandard in terms of germination capacity. Based on this, a case has been filed against the company under the Seeds Act, Essential Commodities Act, and for cheating and fraud.Soybean sowing area is high in the district. Hoping for better average yields this season, farmers purchased and sowed the company’s variety of soybean seeds in large numbers. The Agriculture Department received 470 complaints from farmers across various talukas in Amravati district regarding the ‘Hututu’ seeds failing to germinate.The issue of fake seeds had even reached the State Legislature. Farmers staged protests and marches at Agriculture Department offices demanding action against the company.Samples of the soybean seeds produced by the company in Jalna district, were collected in May and June, before the Kharif season began, as soon as they became available in the seed market. These samples were sent to the Seed Testing Laboratory in Nagpur.The lab report confirmed that seven samples from the company failed the germination test, effectively confirming the supply of fake seeds by the company. Meanwhile, farmers had already purchased and sown the ‘Hututu’ variety on a large scale.Taking cognizance of the farmers’ distress, and based on the report of samples collected by the Quality Control Officer, Praveen Kharche, Mission Officer, Zilla Parishad Amravati, filed a criminal complaint on behalf of the government against the company for supplying substandard seeds to farmers.In this case, an FIR has been registered at Gadge Nagar Police Station against the company under Section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act 1955, Section 318 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, Rule 10 of the Seeds Rules 1968, and Sections 6A, 6B, 7B of the Seeds Act.During the action, Pavankumar Dhomane, Agriculture Officer, Panchayat Samiti Amravati, Shuddhodhan Varghat, Quality Control Officer, Taluka Agriculture Officer Office Amravati, along with police officers and staff were present.The action was taken under the guidance of Ganesh Ghorpade, Divisional Joint Director of Agriculture, Satyam Gandhi, Chief Executive Officer, Zilla Parishad, Archana Nistane, District Superintendent Agriculture Officer, Vinay Thamke, Additional Chief Executive Officer, and Malla Jagannath Todkar, Agriculture Development Officer.
