Shimla, Jul 20 (Representative) Himachal Kissan Sabha (HKS) on Tuesday protested across Solan, Shimla and Sirmaur districts, seeking action against firms selling uncertified seeds to farmers, which reportedly damaged their crops. The protesters criticized the state government for not taking any action against these firms. The demonstration was organised by the left-affiliated HKS. The seeds supplied by these firms reportedly damaged nearly 50 per cent of their crops. Due to these uncertified seeds of tomato and cauliflowers sold by some so-called hybrids firms, the farmers have been facing huge debt and economic loss, Kissan Sabha state president Dr Kuldeep Singh Tanwar told.
He said farmers gave memorandum at every block, seeking relief and compensatory package to those farmers who had purchased these uncertified seeds and now their produce have damaged. He demanded that State Govt should launch market intervention scheme (MIS) to purchase the uncertified tomato and cauliflowers from the farmers at the MIS rate of Rs 16 per kg to compensate them beside blacklisting and penalising the errant firms to supply uncertified seed not true for its hybrid quality.