The sudden rise in the demand for BT cotton seeds has left the district agricultural department in a fix. The department is finding it difficult to meet the growing demand for BT cotton seeds in the district.
The huge demand for BT cotton seeds, particularly Kanaka BT cotton seeds, in Dharwad, Haveri, Gadag and other districts of North Karnataka has led shortage of seeds.
Sources from the agricultural department said cotton is one of the major commercial crops in the region. The farmers who had sown cotton reaped a good profit last year.
The sudden demand for BT cotton, especially Kanaka seeds, is attributed to the better yield by the farmers for sowing Kanaka seeds last year.
Sources said farmers had sown cotton on 20-30 thousand hectares of land in the district last year, but now the farmers are expected to take up sowing of cotton on 50 thousand hectors of land in the district this year, which led to sudden rise in the demand for cotton seeds.
In order to provide sufficient seeds to all, the district agricultural department has issued a permit to each farmer through Nemmadi Kendaras. As per the permit, the government has specified certain quantity of seeds to be distributed to each farmer.
Following the shortage in the Kanaka cotton seeds, farmers are going to the extent of protests in the region.
Lingappa Radder, Subhashchandra, Hussainsaab Mulla and other farmers said that each farmer is getting only one packet of Kanaka seeds (450 gm). "This is not enough for us to sow on 3 acres of land. Even fertilizer shops are also selling these seeds in black markets, they alleged and demanded arrangements should be made to provide sufficient BT cotton seeds to the farmers, they said.
Ganesh Naik, Joint Director, District Agricultural Department, Dharwad, said, "Fertilizer companies have supplied only 12,000 packets of Kanaka seeds to the district, but now there is demand for 2.85 lakh packets of BT cotton. We are finding it difficult to meet the huge demand for BT cotton seeds particuarluy Kanaka seeds."
He said, apart from Kanaka, there are 20 varieties of BT cotton seeds are available in the market, farmers should try for other alternatives to overcome the shortage of seeds.
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