It’s time to develop nurseries, PUSA-44 ban announced too late, rue farmers

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 26

Farmers who have already bought seeds of PUSA-44 variety are left worried as time for preparing nursery is here and now they will have to purchase seeds of permitted varieties.

Farming needs proper planning and preparation. It is in March when the PAU organises ‘Kisan Melas’ where farmers buy seeds for the next season. Though PUSA-44 was not sold at the PAU, this announcement should have been made in March to avoid confusion. Harmeet, state president, BKU (Kadian)

Farmers rue that though CM Mann had announced last year to ban this long duration variety, there was no clarity about the same and seeds were already being sold in the market.

Farmers said they contacted the agriculture department officials earlier who asked them to avoid sowing PUSA-44, but said nothing about the ban.

Harmeet Singh Kadian, state president of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Kadian), said many farmers in the state had already bought seeds of PUSA-44 when the government made the announcement of the ban this year.

Kadian said, “Farming is not a child’s play, but needs proper planning and preparation. It is in March when Punjab Agricultural University organises ‘Kisan Melas’ throughout the state wherein farmers buy seeds for the next season. Though PUSA-44 was not sold at the PAU it was available at seed stores and they bought it from there. This announcement should have been made in March to avoid confusion.”

Farmer Gurdev Singh from Ludhiana said he approached the agriculture department in March but the written initiation from the government said that PUSA-44 variety should be avoided. “They did not mention the ban and I bought the seed and now at the end of April, the variety stands banned. What should I do of the seed I bought?” he said.

“The timing of the announcement is not appropriate and farmers will have to bear losses due to this,” said a farmer from Khamano.

Santokh Singh from Kasabad village said while Punjab is primarily an agricultural state, the government did not take into account that it was time to develop nurseries when they announced the ban.

“The ban should have been made public through media and announcements should have been made in the villages, a month earlier, when farmers buy seeds” he added.

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