Five states report sale of spurious seeds, no illegal mafia network involved: Tomar

The sale of spurious seeds has been reported in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar informed Parliament on Tuesday.

Tomar, in his written reply to the Lok Sabha, also said no state has reported a network of ''illegal mafia'' involved in the production and transport of spurious seeds. The losses suffered by the farmers for sowing poor quality seeds or spurious seeds are only reported by Andhra Pradesh to the tune of Rs 2.08 lakh during 2018-2022, he added.

During 2015-2022, the minister said, about 1.17 lakh tonne seeds were seized in Telangana, 21,724 tonne in Andhra Pradesh, 10,343 tonne in Karnataka, 7,095 tonne in Maharashtra, and 252 tonne in Gujarat.

Around 978 persons have been arrested in Telangana, 223 in Maharashtra, 38 in Gujarat, and 17 in Andhra Pradesh in the said period, he added.