Maharashtra complains about restrictions on soybean seed movement from MP

Earlier, the agriculture officers of Indore and Ujjain had passed an order restricting the movement of soybean seed for sale outside the jurisdiction of these districts.

The department of agriculture, Maharashtra, has written to the Centre complaining about an order passed by the Madhya Pradesh government putting restriction on the movement of soybean seed for sale out of Indore and Ujjain. The commissioner of agriculture, Maharashtra and the agriculture secretary have urged the Centre to intervene to withdraw the restrictions stating that the order is in contravention of the Seed Act, 1983. Maharashtra is a major soybean producing state and much of the private sector seed demand is catered to by seed companies from MP, the Maharashtra agriculture commissioner pointed out in the letter.

Earlier, the agriculture officers of Indore and Ujjain had passed an order restricting the movement of soybean seed for sale outside the jurisdiction of these districts. The move may have been taken due to the shortage of supply of seeds for the upcoming Kharif season, industry people said.

A number of seed companies from Maharashtra as well as MP have seed production of breeder, certified or truthful seed in Indore and Ujjain districts and other districts of MP, he said. The said order will disturb the plan, supply and sale of soybean seed to Maharashtra, causing severe inconvenience to farmers and will lead to profiteering by certain companies due to the resultant shortage.