Pune: Maharashtra State Seeds Corporation Limited (Mahabeej) has initiated an internal inquiry into complaints of poor germination of its soybean seeds after receiving over 1,000 complaints from farmers across Vidarbha and Marathwada. The move comes days after TOI raised the issue in a report published on July 30.Mahabeej managing director Dilip Swami said the inquiry would examine whether prescribed standard operating procedures were followed during seed production and identify any lapses. “The inquiry has been launched to find whether the standard operating process was followed by the officials concerned. If not, why and what went wrong in the process. We have found that certain farmers’ complaints regarding poor germination were true. It means there was some issue in that stock. Our internal investigation will reveal the facts in the coming days,” Swami told TOI.The state-run seed corporation has agreed to replace the affected seed lots after demand from the farmers. Swami, however, said replacement seeds had not yet been distributed and that no decision had been made on compensation for the affected farmers.The delay has forced many farmers to buy fresh soybean seeds from private firms and bear additional costs for resowing. Ragnath Ramji Bhise of Londewadi village in Jalna district said the Mahabeej soybean seeds sown on his one-acre farm failed to germinate. “So, I bought new seeds from a private firm and spent money on tractors and fertilisers, incurring Rs 10,000 in additional cost. Govt should compensate me for the loss,” he said.Devram Umbare, a farmer from Vadgaon village in Jalna, said Mahabeej officials inspected his field after he reported the issue but replacement seeds never arrived. “We could not wait because of the narrow sowing window. So, I purchased seeds from a private firm and completed the sowing. Mahabeej should now compensate us for the additional expenditure,” he said.The farmers fear delayed sowing could reduce yields by shortening the crop’s growing period and exposing late-maturing soybean to unseasonal rainfall in Oct and Nov. The financial impact has been particularly severe for small and marginal farmers who borrowed money to finance resowing.Sunil Vishwanath Bhure, a farmer from Vadgaon village in Chakur tehsil of Latur district, said none of the Mahabeej soybean seeds he bought germinated on his four-acre farm. “I had to buy new seeds and spend again on farm preparation, fertilisers and tractors. My total sowing expenditure has come close to Rs 60,000, almost double of my original budget. I had to borrow money from private lenders. We should at least get compensation for the basic losses,” he said.A senior agriculture department official said the complaints must be thoroughly investigated. “Farmers blindly trust its seeds and products. But this year’s poor germination complaints are serious in nature and have to be investigated properly so that farmers retain confidence in Mahabeej seeds in the next Kharif season,” the official said.Officials said the inquiry would be crucial in establishing whether the poor germination was linked to seed production, processing, storage practices or failures in quality-control protocols.
