'Truthful declaration' not enough to give the true facts
Boro farmers remain vulnerable to cheating by seed traders
Imported hybrid boro seeds as well as locally produced ones are marketed with 'truthful declaration', often mentioning fictitious percentage of purity, germination and moisture on the packets, due to awfully scanty arrangement for laboratory testing. The photo was taken from 'Sakhamacha seed market' in Nilphamari a couple of days ago.Photo: STAR
Boro farmers in eight northern districts remain highly vulnerable to cheating by seed suppliers as authorities accept the traders' 'truthful declaration', regardless of whether the seeds undergo field and laboratory tests. The government authorities rely on such declaration due to shortage of manpower and logistics for proper monitoring of seed markets across the country. Around 50 per cent boro seeds of different varieties in open markets are 'truthfully labelled seeds' (TLS) while almost all the hybrid varieties imported from abroad are marketed under the TLS category, said Md Moniruzzaman, regional field officer (RFO) of the government's seed certification department in Bogra. “TLS seeds are allowed for sale in markets as authorities depend on traders' morality due to lack of sufficient manpower and laboratories to monitor the seed markets across the country,†he said. Under the provision, seed company concerned, NGO or individual trader having government's seed marketing license 'truthfully' declare or write on seed packets that their seeds are of required standard having proper germination, purity, moisture etc, without undergoing field and laboratory tests by the authorities. "Sometimes dishonest seed companies or traders misuse the rule and market below standard seeds in the name of TLS seeds to cheat farmers although we take action if allegations are found," the RFO added. Perfect seed certification rule says, before marketing, boro seeds must undergo field and laboratory test conducted by seed certification department to get recommendation tags as 'foundation' seeds and 'certified' seeds. For perfect foundation and certified seeds, they must have 96 per cent purity and 80 per cent germination having maximum highest 12 pc moisture, 10 pc weed seeds and other crop seeds in 1 kg seed etc. "But a section of dishonest seed companies or traders do not undergo testing by the government for fear of being rejected. They directly market low quality seeds as TLS seeds inscribing false percentage of purity, germination etc," Satyen Roy, owner of 'Ovi Enterprise', a big seed company in Nilphamari alleged. The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) set a target to cultivate boro paddy in 7.61 lakh hectares to produce about 30.52 lakh tonnes of rice in northern districts -- Rangpur, Dinajpur, Gaibandha, Nilphamari, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Thakurgaon and Panchagarh this year, said the regional office of DAE in Rangpur. Demand of boro seeds as estimated by DAE is 15,207 tonnes. BADC supplies only 3,870 tonnes or only 25.5 per cent of the demand. The rest is supplied by seed companies, NGOs and individuals. Visiting different seed markets like Sakhamacha Bandar of Nilphamari, Panchpeer Haat of Panchagarh, Mohishkhocha Haat of Lalmonirhat, it was found that Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) invented high yielding BRRI Dhan-28 and BRRI Dhan-29, and hybrid paddy imported from abroad are of high demand, despite their high prices. Two kg packet of BRRI Dhan-28 and BRRI Dhan-29 are selling for Tk 90-Tk 115 and one kg packet of hybrid variety for Tk 240-Tk 280. Atiqur Rahman, a farmer of Angarpara village in Sadar upazila alleged that last year he cultivated hybrid boro paddy imported from China after collecting it from Paker Hat in Dinajpur district but he did not get expected yield although it was TLS seed. "I could not claim compensation, as the seed traders usually do not give receipt," he added. Monju Alam Sarkar, field seed certification officer in Nilphamari, said he conducted mobile court with executive magistrate and fined 13 seed companies, ranging from Tk 500 to Tk 3000, for keeping low quality seeds in this boro season. Farmers, however, said such 'soft punishment' was not enough to prevent traders from selling low quality seeds. "Strict rules should be framed to prevent cheating in the name of TLS seeds. Increasing manpower and vehicles and setting up laboratories in each division is needed to ensure quality seeds. At present there is only one such laboratory in Gazipur," said Regional field seed certification officer Moniruzzaman. “If perfect seeds were ensured to farmers, paddy yield would increase by 30 per cent-35 per centâ€, he added.
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