KENDRAPARA: Acute shortage of potato seeds in Kendrapara district has become a grave concern for local farmers ahead of the sowing season.
In absence of quality seeds, potato farmers are facing serious difficulties while the Horticulture department is reportedly not making any effort to resolve the crisis.
Randhir Behera, a potato farmer of Silipur village under Marsaghai block, said, “I had planned to raise potatoes on two acre of my riverside land. But non-supply of seeds by the authorities has come as a bolt from the blue for me.” He alleged that the district horticulture officials are not making effort to supply potato seeds on time.
Another farmer from Singiri village Parikhita Rout said the sowing season has sparked a rush for quality seeds. But the shortage has hit farmers who now want the government to step in. “Due to shortage of seeds, many farmers are being compelled to purchase substandard seeds from the open market by paying more,” he alleged.
Assistant director of horticulture, Kendrapara Devadas Dutta said, “We are yet to get any seed from the Seed Corporation of Odisha. After getting the seeds, we will provide them to farmers.”
Dutta further said the Horticulture department has decided to provide certified and subsidised seeds to farmers at `42.25 per kg. Farmers will get 75 per cent subsidy on the seeds. “This year, farmers will raise potatoes over around 700 hectare of the riverside land in the district. A farmer needs 15 quintal seeds to raise potatoes over one hectare of land. Our department will provide seeds to farmers to cultivate potatoes over 375 hectare of land,” he said.
Usually, most of the farmers raise potatoes from the second week to last week of November. Due to untimely rain in October, vast tracts of land are still in wet condition. Hence, farmers will spread potato seeds on their fields in the last week of November this year, Dutta added.
