With the supply of subsidized wheat seeds through cooperative societies being caught up in procedural complications, the farmers in Bhathinda and Mansa are forced to purchase them from private sources at the rate of Rs. 2,800 per quintal, according to Tribune News Service.
While the Agriculture Department says licences for cooperative societies for purchase of seeds are mandatory, the co-operative societies claim this goes against the orders of the apex court.
There are about 193 cooperative societies in Bathinda and about 112 cooperative societies in Mansa district but none of them had seeds available.
However, the Agriculture Department says 33 firms and 50 seed dealers have been given licence to sell the wheat seeds to farmers as producers and dealers, respectively. The farmers can get permit from these firms or dealers to get a subsidy of Rs 1,000, it claims.
President of the Cooperative Society Karamchari Union, Bathinda says the cooperative societies are government institutions and they do not require licence. All this is a conspiracy to ruin the farmers by not supplying the seeds to cooperative societies, he says.