FIR filed against Hyderabad-based firm for ‘sub-standard seeds’: Police

Police have booked the owner of a Hyderabad-based company for allegedly cheating farmers in Madhya Pradesh’s Malwa region supplying sub-standard vegetable seeds, including bitter gourd.FIR was regered in Dhar after farmers alleged bitter gourd crop failure due to substandard seeds supplied a Hyderabad firm. (Representative photo)A First Information Report (FIR) was regered at the Manawar police station in Dhar on Friday following the intervention of Union agriculture and farmers welfare and rural development miner Shivraj Singh Chouhan.The farmers alleged that in November 2025, they purchased seeds and saplings from various nurseries and agricultural service centres of a private company in Telangana’s Hyderabad.“Following sowing and transplantation, the bitter gourd crop failed to yield the expected production; instead, the fruits remained small, turned yellow, and began to drop off. Following a severe decline in crop production, farmers raised the matter in February, 2026,” inspector Shawar Singh said.“Subsequently, an investigation was conducted agricultural scients and departmental officials, which prima facie revealed that substandard seeds—as well as saplings raised from such seeds—were sold to farmers under the guise of being certified, there causing them financial loss,” he added.A case was regered under Sections 318(4) (dealing with cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property) and 324(5) (commits mischief and there causes loss or damage to the amount of twenty thousand rupees and more) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as well as relevant sections of the Essential Commodities Act and the Seeds Act.The FIR was regered days after a group of farmers met miner Chouhan in Delhi. He directed officials to ensure appropriate compensation for the affected farmers and strict legal action against the company.Chouhan also directed a ban on ‘Robusta’ seeds, which are claimed to be a high-yielding variety of bitter gourd seeds.“Now, strict action will be taken against those who supply substandard and counterfeit seeds and pesticides. The future of farmers will not be spared at any cost,” Chouhan said.