Banned HTBT seeds seized

Wardha: The flying squad of Wardha agriculture dept seized 1,850 packets of banned HTBT seeds worth approximately Rs18 lakh in a major raid at a godown in Nachangaon in Wardha district ahead of the kharif season and seized around HTBT seeds.According to information received by the dept, banned HTBT seeds were allegedly being illegally stored and sold in Nachangaon for the past several days. Acting on a tip-off, the flying squad conducted the raid and recovered the stock from the godown.Agriculture officials suspect that some dubious companies were misleading farmers and selling banned HTBT seeds in the market. Farmers often get attracted to such seeds during the kharif season in the hope of higher yield, officials said.The agriculture dept has appealed to farmers to purchase seeds only from authorised sellers as the use of such seeds could cause heavy losses in farming.A case has been registered at Pulgaon police station and officials said strict action would be taken against those involved. Officials said a large stock of fake fertilisers was also seized from the same area a few days ago. Farmer organisations have demanded a detailed investigation into the case and strict action against those responsible.