BHUBANESWAR: Even as non-paddy seeds replacement rate has come down by 70 per cent in 2014-15 rabi season, the State Government may not be in a position to supply quality seeds for pulses cultivation in next season.
Registered seed growing farmers have started selling certified seeds as non-seeds in open market protesting the low price fixed by the State’s seed pricing committee.
While the whole grain prices of mung, biri and arhar are ruling high in open market, the State Government is offering price equivalent to market price for certified seeds which the farmers have grown from foundation seeds. The State Government has fixed the price of mung seeds at `9,000 per quintal but the market price of whole grain mung is over `10,000 per quintal.
The State’s seed pricing committee has fixed the price of biri (black gram) seeds at `8,000 per quintal while the market price of it is about `9,000 per quintal.
However, the seeds pricing committee of Odisha State Seeds Corporation (OSSC) has recommended `10,200 per quintal for mung seeds, `8,500 each per quintal of biri and arhar to the Government.
Sources in the Agriculture Department said the registered seeds growing farmers of the State had produced 6,300 quintals of certified biri seeds, 8,870 quintals of mung seeds and 560 quintals of ahrhar seeds.
Curiously, the Seeds Corporation has placed an order for procurement of 900 quintals of arhar seeds from National Seeds Corporation (NSC) at `13,500 per quintal when State farmers are ready to supply at `8,500 per quintal.
Since the Seeds Corporation is not keen to procure arhar seeds from State farmers, the seed growers have started selling the certified seeds in the open market at non-seed price.
Meanwhile, the Centre has announced a bonus of `200 per quintal on pulses. While the MSP for mung has been raised by `250 per quintal, tur (arhar) and urad (biri) support prices were raised by `275 per quintal.
The registered seed growers have urged the State Government to revise the seed rates for different kind of pulses in view of the higher market price and bonus announced by the Centre. However, they are yet to get any response from the Government.