Farmers are a brand-conscious lot

WARANGAL: Farmers of Duggondi, Nallabelli and Nekkonda mandals in Warangal district have found a new way of extracting profits from cotton this year. Not by sowing it and reaping it, but by auctioning seeds.In association with local leaders, they have been holding auctions of cotton seeds and the money has been pouring in. Such has been the shortage of seeds this year that a packet of seeds costing Rs 930 fetches up to Rs 2,500 in these auctions.Encouraged by the bumper profits they reaped from cotton last year, farmers have turned to cotton like prospectors in a gold rush. Against the normal area of 4.17 lakh acres, cotton was cultivated in 5.69 acres in Warangal district last year. This year, officials forecast cotton sowing in more than 6.3 lakh acres.While farmers will require at least 13 lakh packets of BT cotton seeds, the government has supplied despatched only 4.55 lakh packets. Of this, only 40 per cent are of preferred brands. Three km long queues at seed shops and baton charges by police to control restive farmers crowds have become a regular affair in the district.Stunned by the stampede for preferred seeds, officials have begun to ration supplies. “We are selling not more than one packet (each 450 gm) to farmers having one acre. Those with more than two acres can get no more than two packets,’’ said an official in the agriculture department.“For those who need more, we are persuading them to purchase seeds of other brands.’’ ut farmers are a brandconscious lot. There are some 33 varieties of cotton seeds available. Agriculture officials say most of them serve the purpose, but farmers prefer only brands such as Kanak, Neeraja, Dr Braint (supplied by Mahyco) and Mallika (Nuziveedu Seeds). They would rather buy their supplies in the black market at a premium of up to Rs 1,100 per packet.