Telangana farmers fall prey to traders’ tactics amid cotton seed shortage as monsoon approaches

According to agriculture officials, farmers would need two packets of cotton seeds per acre which would weigh 475 grams each.

Sangareddy: The farmers were falling into the trap of traders, who were creating artificial demand for certain brands of cotton seeds in the erstwhile Medak.

Since the demand for certain brands went up, stocks of these varieties were getting exhausted quickly and the traders are utilising the opportunity to sell the same seeds in the black market at higher prices.

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As the Southwest Monsoon is expected to touch Telangana this week, farmers are frantic to buy cotton seeds.

Cotton would be sown immediately after the first spell of rain. According to agriculture officials, farmers would need two packets of cotton seeds per acre which would weigh 475 grams each. Each of the seed packets would cost Rs 864 in the open market.

However, the madness to buy certain brands of seeds is pushing the farmers into the trap of traders. The farmers would spend any amount to buy the seed packet which had become popular in the local market.

The agriculture officials were educating the farmers saying that all the seeds would give equal results. However, the farmers were not heeding their requests.

According to officials, as many as 30 cotton seed companies were supplying 200 varieties of cotton seeds in Telangana. However, the farmers were demanding cotton seeds of three to four varieties which is creating a shortage of seed supply.

Interestingly, one brand of seed, which is in great demand in Adilabad, is finding no takers in Medak district. Agriculture Officer in Markook village T Nagendar Reddy has suggested that farmers to buy any variety of the seeds available in the market after checking the expiry date and authenticity saying that all the brands would give equal results. He said that the big cotton ball variety seeds would suit the black soils while the medium size variety would suit the red soils.

While the farmers in Sangareddy are expected to take up cotton cultivation in 3.40 lakh acres, farmers in Siddipet and Medak will take up cotton cultivation in one lakh and 40,000 acres respectively.