HYDERABAD: Managing director of Nadini Agri Bio-Tech company, who allegedly sold spurious cotton seeds to farmers and created huge losses to them, was arrested and charged under Preventive Detention Act by Rachakonda police on Friday. The accused M V Shiva Reddy (36) hailing from Thadipatri in Ananthapur district, AP and owned Nandini Agri Bio-Tech Pvt Ltd at BN Reddy Nagar in Vanasthalipuram. He was found producing seeds that did not meet minimum standards as suggested by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee.
Reddy’s comapany manufactured spurious cotton seeds that not only landed the poor farmers in a perennial trap but also cheated them with conspiracy beyond recovery affecting them adversely. “Taking advantage of the illiterate farmers, he sold the spurious seeds through some agents to gain profits.
He has been distributing lesser germinated seeds,” said Rachakonda police commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat. The accused, Reddy, failed to crush the expired seeds and in a greed to make money, he reprocessed those seeds and sold them. He had rented a godown at Munaganoor from where the seeds were being distributed to the agents for sale.
He was arrested by Hayathnagar police on July 5. Spurious seeds and manufacturing equipment worth `27.86 lakh were seized and he was produced before the court. “In order to create safer environment for the public and prevent such losses for them in future, accused Shiva Reddy was booked under PD Act,” Bhagwat said