COTTON SEED SCARCITY HAUNTS FARMERS IN BALANGIR MONDAY, 13 MAY 2013 | PNS | BALANGIR | IN BHUBANESWAR

COTTON SEED SCARCITY HAUNTS FARMERS IN BALANGIR

Monday, 13 May 2013 | PNS | BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar

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Even as farmers of Balangir faced great losses by cultivating banned and untested variety Bt cotton last year, the spectre of Bt cotton seeds entering once again into the district is looming large in view of huge shortages of cotton seeds this year.

“This year, we have taken up cotton cultivation in 41,000 hectares of land in the district and the seed requirement is 1,02,500 packets. A seed dealers’ meeting was held on May 8 which only five dealers attended and expressed ability to provide only 45,500 packets of seeds. So, there is a huge shortage of cotton seeds this year,” said Balangir Deputy Director of Agriculture Manoranjan Mallick, adding, “We have informed the situation to higher authorities.”

With such a projected scarcity of cotton seeds, it would provide enough opportunities for unscrupulous traders to sell the BT cotton in the district through clandestine mechanism