By Laxman Kafle
Kathmandu, Nov. 25

The government has evaluated the loss in the production of paddy due to the use of infertile hybrid Garima seed.
A compensation fixing committee formed under Madan Thapa, Chief Seed Development Officer at Seed Quality Control, has evaluated the loss in the paddy production to provide compensation to the farmers who had used the hybrid seeds of Garima paddy.
The farmers claimed that Garima seed did not yield any crops causing them losses in tens of millions rupees. Many farmers who have been engaged in subsistence agriculture have now been facing shortage of their food items in kitchen due to infertile seed.
The committee has submitted the report to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development on Friday, said Dr. Hari Bahadur KC, spokesman at the Ministry.
The government has formed the compensation fixing committee a month ago after receiving complaints from the farmers that the Garima paddy did not give any yield.
The farmers of 13 districts, including Kailali, Kanchanpur, Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Chitwan, Makwanpur, Tanahun and Nuwakot were affected by the use of the infertile seeds.
The committee has collected data of losses on production by making field visits in 60 municipalities of 13 districts where in around 1,785 hectares the Garima seed was planted, he said.
As per the report, production of around 8,500 tonnes of paddy was lost after the Garima paddy did not give any yield to the farmers.
He said that the committee proposed dual compensation based on the production cost of the paddy and production loss as well.
It proposed compensation worth Rs. 170 million based on the production cost and Rs. 230 million based on production loss, he said.
The Ministry will analyse the report and take appropriate decision to provide compensation to the victims, he said.
“The ministry will table the decision on compensation at the cabinet for approval. The ministry will take the decision over it within this week,” spokesman KC told The Rising Nepal.
He said that the government would provide compensation to the victims at the earliest from the state budget.
“As per the provision of Seed Regulation, the seeds selling company has to provide compensation to the farmers. The government would provide compensation to the farmers first and recover it from the seed selling company,” he said.
“Providing compensation will be delayed if we try to recover losses from the seed selling company first,” he said.
The Sunrise Agriculture Research Centre of Dang sold the seeds of the Garima variety of paddy to the farmers through different agro shops by importing it from Renova Seed Science India Private Limited, Hyderabad.