Hyderabad: Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao has asked officials to make sure enough seeds are available for farmers before the upcoming monsoon season. He spoke about this during a review meeting with top officials from the agriculture department and representatives from seed companies.
The Minister said it is important to focus on the types of seeds that are in high demand. This will help avoid complaints from farmers about poor seed quality, which has been a problem in the past. He also acknowledged that farmers who produce seeds often face losses.
Rao mentioned that some middlemen who work between farmers and seed companies are causing problems with payments and pricing. He asked the SeedsMen Association and seed companies to talk to farmers directly and finalize proper agreements for seed production.
He stressed the need for companies to pay farmers on time for the seeds they grow. If farmers receive poor-quality seeds or do not get paid, the government will take strong action against the responsible companies.
The Minister also gave instructions to agricultural officers. He told them to regularly check on seed companies in their areas to make sure they are giving quality seeds to farmers. Officers who fail to do their duties will also face action. He asked them to organize awareness programs at Rythu Vedikas to help farmers learn about selecting and buying the right seeds.
In addition, Rao said that illegal, unlabeled seeds being sold in villages must be stopped. He directed officials to work with the police to take action against such sellers.
During the meeting, seed company representatives asked about the availability and results of vegetable seeds in the state. They shared their support for the government’s plan to grow more vegetables and ensure farmers get good-quality seeds.
Agriculture Director Gopi shared estimates for the 2025 monsoon season. He said paddy will be grown over 66 lakh acres, maize over 6 lakh acres, cotton over 50 lakh acres, and soybean over 9 lakh acres. To meet this demand, the state will need 16.7 lakh quintals of paddy seeds, 48,000 quintals of maize seeds, 89 lakh packets of cotton seeds, and 1.35 lakh quintals of soybean seeds.
With more farmers now growing fine rice varieties, arrangements are being made to supply these seeds in larger amounts. For cotton, 2.4 crore seed packets will be made available. Companies are also being told to make sure the most popular cotton seed varieties are sent to the right regions.
The meeting was attended by Agriculture Secretary Raghunandan Rao, TG Seeds Chairman Anvesh Reddy, Seeds Director Yasmin Basha, and representatives from the SeedsMen Association and various seed companies.
