Chitwan, March 1: The government has decided to provide financial relief to the farmers suffering losses due to the use of fake paddy seeds.
They are being offered 20 percent of their total expenses involved in paddy farming in the form of such relief. The very figure aims to meet at least the costs of the seeds and fertilizer
The farmers in 13 districts including Chitwan incurred huge losses after the paddy they sowed did not yield any produce. The paddy plants were grain-less at the time of harvest. The economic damage incurred by the farmers who cultivated paddy in the land measuring 17,806 hectares amounts to Rs 170 million in total, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development. The minimum base price of it is 230 million.
The financial relief to the victimized farmers has already been dispatched to the respective municipalities through the comptroller’s office, spokesperson of the ministry Dr. Hari Bahadur KC said.
The department of commerce, supplies, and consumer protection has meanwhile, penalized the company that introduced the faulty paddy seeds in the country. The Sunrise Agriculture Research center in Lamahi, Dang had imported the paddy seeds. The hybrid seeds named Garima were imported from the Rinova Seed Science India Private Limited in Hyderabad, India.
