816 bags of untested urad seeds worth Rs16L seized in Solapur

Kolhapur: The Solapur agriculture department on Tuesday seized 816 bags of untested urad seeds worth Rs16 lakh being sold illegaly under the name and packaging of a commercial brand.The NUL 7 (Vishwas) variety seeds, weighing 4,080kg, were found to be untested for germination rate or quality was was seized from Akkalkot and Barshi. Two FIRs have been filed against a Ratnakar Raghunath Kole, who runs Swami Samarth Krushi Seva Kendra at Shelgaon in the neighbouring Dharashiv district and reportedly brought the seeds to sell."We have sent the seed samples to lab for testing the quality. After soybean, Urad is major Kharif crop in Solapur, it's sowing starts after June 15. The proprietor of the firm copied the label of a branded seed company and marketed the seeds under different brand name. The source of it's procurement is not yet known," said Haridas Hawale, agriculture development officer.Officials found that in the Akkalkot search, 80 bags had already been sold. Hawale said farmers who have bought the seeds from the proprietor should reach out to the taluka officials and raise the complaint. Agriculture authorities have cautioned farmers while buying seeds. “They must scan QR code printed on the seed bag to check the source and it's journey to the retailer. They should ask retailers for the original invoice of their payment to the company so that farmers can check batch numbers. Also via the SATHI portal launched by govt of India farmers can trace the journey and authenticity of the seeds," said Hawale.Each bag, weighing 5kg and containing the seeds, is sufficient for one acre sowing. “This means the agriculture department, not only stopped sowing of the untested seeds on 816 acres, but also helped farmers from facing huge losses not only in terms of money they’d to spend, but also in terms of the yield,” Hawale said.