“The biggest problem for an average farmer is not bad weather conditions, hailstorms, and droughts, but it is actually fake seeds,” said Cyberabad Commissioner of Police Stephen Raveendra. The Cyberabad Police busted an inter-state spurious seed racket in the city and arrested seven individuals on Friday. The operation, carried out in Telangana and Karnataka, resulted in the seizure of 2.65 tons of spurious BG-III/HT cotton seeds, along with several other incriminating items.
Speaking on the operation, the CP said, “When there is drought or hailstorm, the farmer loses only 50% of the crop. But this causes 100% loss. From the manufacturer to the shopkeeper in the villages, fake seeds are a big mafia. Their profit is at the cost of a farmer’s life. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has been warning the police department from time to time to break this chain and cut this problem at the root. Around 80% to 90% of fake seeds have been seized in the state, only a few mafias are left. We are registering PD Act cases against the fake seed mafia.”
The arrested individuals were identified as Sada Shiva Reddy, Kummari Tayappa, Buddanodu Ramchandar, Bogudu Suresh, and an absconding suspect identified as Singh. The accused were found to be involved in the procurement and sale of spurious seeds, exploiting the demand for BG-III/HT cotton seeds in the market.
In separate operations, the police seized 23 bags (1400 kg) of spurious BG-III/HT cotton seeds worth Rs. 45 lakhs in a Bolero truck on May 25, 2023. Additionally, 25 bags of spurious cotton seeds, 15 liters of gooch oil used for chemical coloring, a Renault Duster vehicle, three mobile phones, and a packing machine, all worth Rs 40 lakh, were confiscated. In total, 2,650 kg of spurious BG-III/HT cotton seeds were seized, amounting to an approximate worth of Rs 85 lakh.
Geeta, district agricultural officer, Rangareddy, Mary Rekha, district agricultural officer, medchal district, Ramadevi, Asst.director, Chevella, Venkatesham, mandal agricultural officer, Shaba, Ravi Kumar, mandal agricultural officer, Balanagar and Madhav Reddy, mandal agricultural officer, Bhachupally, joined the CP in a bid to raise awareness on fake seeds.
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