• Investment World
• eWorld
• Brand Line
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest
• The New Manager

Stocks

• Quotes
• SE Diary
• Scoreboard
• Open-End Mutual Fund

Cross Currency

• Rates
  
  

Shipping

• Ports
  
  

Archives

• Yesterday
• Datewise
• Resources
• In Focus
• In Depth

Group Sites

• The Hindu
• The Hindu ePaper
• Business Line
• Business Line ePaper
• Sportstar
• Frontline
• The Hindu eBooks
• The Hindu Images

Our Bureau

Police resort to lathicharge; State Goverrnment orders probe

Hyderabad May 28 Huge rush for Bt cottonseed in Adilabad district led to lathicharge, with farmers from five mandals mobbing the seed sale point worrying that they might not get the required quantity of seed.

Responding to the reports, the Andhra Pradesh Government has ordered an inquiry into the incidents that led to the lathicharge and asked the seed companies not to fish in the troubled waters.

Mr N Raghuveera Reddy, Minister for Agriculture, has warned the companies not to cash in on the eagerness of the farmers to buy the seed.

Thousands of farmers made a beeline at the sales point on Sunday, seeking to buy packets of RCH2 (a Bt cottonseed from Rasi Seeds), which has gone well with the farmers in Adilabad and Karimnagar, Mr N Raghuveera Reddy, Minister for Agriculture, said.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, he asked the farmers not to panic as the company gave a written undertaking that they would supply one lakh packets of seed this season.

Stating that reduction of seed price had led to phenomenal growth in Bt acreage, the Minister said from 5.5 lakh acres in 2005-06, Bt cotton acreage went up to 16 lakh acres in 2006-07.

The total cotton crop area in the State was put at 24.67 lakh acres.

The Minister said it was a mistake to open seed selling counters at one place for farmers from five mandals. At least, they should have had enough stocks

"There is no hurry at all as the season is still 20 days away," he said.

Asking the farmers not to worry about the seed, he said the seed companies had assured to supply 38.28 lakh packets of seed as against the total cotton acreage of 24.67 lakh acres.

More Stories on : Seeds | Bio-tech & Genetics | Andhra Pradesh | Cotton

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
NCDEX to meet jeera body members today in Unjha

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line