Amid protest, activist farmer reaffirms support for HT seeds

Time of India

6 hours ago

Nagpur: On Monday, seed traders from Nagpur and Wardha took to the streets to protest against the massive proliferation of illegal herbicide-tolerant (HT) cotton seeds. A couple of kilometres away, as he attended a seminar in the city, Lalit Bahale, the farmer who was the first to openly grow the banned seeds six years ago, remained defiant.
As traders say infiltration of HT seeds is killing their business, Bahale told TOI that he continues to grow the variety. Over the years, he also facilitated scores of farmers across Vidarbha for buying the seeds, said Bahale.
In 2019, Bahale sowed the HT seeds at his farm in Akoli Jangir village of Akola district under the aegis of the farmers' outfit Shetkari Sangathana in the presence of media. This was a mark of protest demanding govt clearance for the HT seeds, a genetically engineered variety.
Farmers should have access to the latest technology, stressed the Sangathana. Consequently, a number of such agitations were held.
Bahale, who was in the city to attend a meeting on climate-resilient farming, said he has faced no action since 2019. "I was booked under environment laws, the seed act, and even for alleged fraud. However, the case is just not moving. I have been requesting the public prosecutor through my lawyer to give it a push.
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However, the hearings are not happening at all," he said.
Bahale said there is a well-oiled chain of seed growers in Gujarat through whom he has been arranging the seeds for farmers in Vidarbha. "We haven't seen each other, but still, the seeds are delivered each season," he said.
The defiance indicates what the licensed seed dealers on strike call a flourishing illegal trade which authorities are overlooking. Vijay Chandak, the chairman of Nagpur Agro Dealers Association, said that an illegal market puts the farmers at risk.
"There are chances that many may end up buying spurious seeds. The authorities should clamp down on the sources in Gujarat or Telangana where the seeds are grown," said Chandak.
Meanwhile, as farmers like Bahale openly defy the law, a cat-and-mouse game continues with the agriculture department catching consignments of HT seeds. "Sometimes the seeds are caught, but the trade goes on," said Bahale.
HT seeds have been a subject of controversy over the years. Cotton plants grown through the HT seeds can withstand doses of weed killers and survive as the overgrowth around them dies. The farmers prefer it as it reduces physical effort in clearing the weed. However, the seeds are not permitted to be used as the trials were stopped in between due to differences over trade rights.