Potato seeds of grossly inferior quality, bought from a Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation dealer, have driven a number of farmers to ruin in several unions of Bhola sadar upazila.
Much to their worry, the growers have found the seeds of the popular vegetable damaged after sowing those on vast tracts of land.
Allegations are rife that Nazim Uddin Sohag, a local dealer of Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation, sold the poor quality potato seeds to the growers at prices higher than the government fixed.
As the issue raised eyebrows of many, a particular group started trying with all their heart and soul to cover it up.
During visit to different potato fields in Elisha union under Sadar upazila, many growers told the UNB correspondent that their sowed potato seeds, which they had bought from a shop named Messer’s Sohagh Traders of BADC dealer M Nazim Uddin, did not germinate in many fields.
They dug up the land and, to their utter shock, found almost all the seeds rotten; whereas in the adjoining fields, the seeds collected from some non-government organisations or other BADC dealers than Sohag Traders have sprouted well.
Samsuddin Bepari, a well-known potato grower of Elisha Bazar area, said he had bought 1,250 sacks of potato seeds (containing about nine tonnes) at Tk650 per sack from Nazim Uddin and sowed those on his nearly 20 acres (one acre= 30 decimals) of land.
Alleging that the BADC dealer had sold spoiled seeds to him, the potato grower said he incurred losses of nearly Tk10 lakh as almost all the seeds in his field got damaged.
Samsuddin who took bank loan for cultivating potato are now passing days amid grave anxiety over repayment of the loan.
Like him, many other farmers have similar tales to tell.
They also complained that Nizam Uddin had sold potato seeds to them at Tk25-26 per kg against the government fixed Tk10.
The worried farmers alleged that officials of the local Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) have turned a deaf ear to their complaints about the irregularities committed by Nazim Uddin.
Besides, the farmers complained the DAE officials were not giving them any advice on how to save their crop fields from further ruin.
Acknowledging the facts, M Sumsul Alam Chowdhury, agriculture officer of Bhola Sadar upazila, said they had received complaints of potato seeds getting rotten.
Asked about the possible reasons, he said they were unwilling to say anything before proper investigation.
However, he primarily assumed that the seeds might have been damaged due to excessive heat and pressure while being transported to the district from Chandpur.
Ishrat Jahan, senior deputy assistant director of local seeds godown, said local DAE office had no role in appointment of dealers and seeds distribution in the district as those were done by the Barisal Divisional DAE office.
When contacted, dealer Nazim Uddin denied selling spoiled seeds to the growers saying, “Potato cultivators of local Kachia Majher Char who bought seeds from his shop saw their seeds germinating.”
The dealer added he had lifted the seeds from the BADC warehouse in Chandpur and asserted that the seeds were not then in a bad condition at all.
