Smuggling of spurious cotton seeds continues in erstwhile Adilabad

Spurious cotton seeds flood Adilabad district, putting farmers at risk as smugglers exploit loopholes, despite police crackdowns and sustained enforcement by special task forces

Adilabad: The menace of spurious cotton seeds continues unabated despite police registering cases against seed smugglers across the erstwhile Adilabad district.

Cotton is typically cultivated on around 10 lakh acres in the district each agricultural season. Each acre requires one kilogram of seed, translating into an annual demand of approximately 10,000 quintals. The total value of seeds purchased by farmers is estimated to be around ₹50 crore. However, a significant portion of these seeds are reportedly spurious, officials say.

Police recently seized 20 quintals of cotton seeds worth Rs. 60 lakh in Kagaznagar, Kumram Bheem Asifabad district. On May 26, a task force seized 27 packets of spurious cotton seeds in Echoda mandal, Adilabad district. Two days prior, a task force arrested two individuals for smuggling 30 kg of fake cotton seeds at Kothapalli village in Thandur mandal, Mancherial district.

Sources said the seeds are being procured from neighbouring Maharashtra. Traders are targeting farmers in Adilabad district through agents and middlemen, selling the seeds with false promises of higher yields and low weed growth. An estimated 200 quintals of such seeds have already entered Adilabad district alone, sources added.

Meanwhile, some traders from Mancherial and Kumram Bheem Asifabad districts are importing seeds from manufacturers in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. These are then repackaged into 1 kg or 500 g sachets and distributed through a network of agents to unsuspecting farmers. Officials said traders supply the sachets to agents and sellers while evading police detection.

Smugglers reportedly purchase these seeds for Rs. 600 per quintal and sell them at inflated prices ranging from Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 5,000 per quintal. They allegedly continue this illegal trade by offering bribes to police officials, public representatives, and other authorities.

Adilabad Superintendent of Police Akhil Mahajan stated that special task teams comprising police and agriculture officials have been formed to curb the menace. Cases are being booked against smugglers, and the PD Act is being invoked against repeat offenders. Due to sustained efforts by the police and other departments, the incidence of spurious seeds is reportedly on the decline in the district, he added.