Pune: Seed firms facing action over complaints of poor soybean seed germination are gearing up for crucial hearings next week, with the state agriculture department granting them additional time to submit explanations after several companies claimed of not receiving tehsil-level panchnama (field inspection ) reports.Twenty firms, including Maharashtra State Seeds Corporation Limited (Mahabeej), are under scrutiny following nearly 20,000 complaints, largely from Vidarbha and Marathwada. The department has already filed 85 FIRs against seed manufacturers.“The department had scheduled the hearings last week but accepted requests for more time as several firms claimed they had not received field inspection (panchnama) reports and could not adequately present their defence,” Sunil Borkar, director of quality control and inputs at the irrigation department, told TOI.Akola emerged as the worst-hit district, accounting for about 10,000 complaints. Farmers reported heavy losses and, in many cases, had to take up resowing.Experts said firms were likely to cite factors like weather, storage conditions, sowing practices, soil quality and sampling procedures to argue that poor germination was not caused by seed quality. They, however, stressed that repeated failures linked to the same seed lot across multiple locations would carry significant weight.“The firms must get a fair chance to defend themselves, but decisions should be based on scientific evidence,” seed expert Milind Deshmukh, who has developed three soybean varieties for the state, said.Meanwhile, concerns have surfaced over alleged “solution letters” obtained from the farmers after complaints were filed. Some growers alleged that some firms offered replacement seeds or inputs in return for written statements that grievances had been resolved.The farmers now fear these letters could be used to argue that disputes had been settled, potentially weakening future claims for compensation or regulatory intervention. “This raises doubts about whether the firms are trying to avoid scrutiny. My 10-acre field is still affected because of poor germination,” Dhananjay Gawde, a farmer from Hiwarkhed village in Akola’s Telhara taluka, said.The experts said such private settlements should not affect the department’s independent assessment of whether seed quality norms were violated. “If a firm replaces seed or compensates a farmer, it may address an individual grievance, but that does not automatically prove the seed met quality standards. The department still has to independently determine whether there was a broader failure,” another seed expert said.The experts said regulators must ensure due process and avoid creating an impression that every complaint would automatically lead to punitive action. “Genuine firms deserve an opportunity to defend themselves. But where wrongdoing is conclusively established, routine penalties may not be enough,” the expert said.“The hearings are expected to be critical in determining accountability for the widespread germination failures and whether stricter action, including licence suspension or cancellation, is warranted,” an agriculture official said.
