Seed of contention

While Nitish has outrightly rejected the bill in its present form,farmers of the agro-based state arent so vehemently opposed to it. Reason: The hybrid seed varieties assure them of a good yield even as they cost them a pretty penny. In the event of crop failure,however,they all look at the government for compensation.

At the Lagma panchayat of Kosi regions Saharsa which is one of the biggest maize growing districts along with Khagaria,Madhepura and Supaul the farmers use hybrid varieties called 900 M Gold,9081 and Pinnacle.

A farmer at Sirrahi village in the panchayat,Mohammed Usman,who has cultivated maize using 900 M Gold,a hybrid variety seed by US Monsanto company,said: Though the per bigha cost has gone up from Rs 2,500 to around Rs 8,000 with the new seed and technique,the per bigha yield,too,has gone up from 1,000 kg to 2,400 kg.

Nonetheless,Usman wondered as to why farmers have to buy fresh packs of costly seeds every year. Once we grow a new variety,we should be able to use it as seeds next year,but that is not possible with the hybrid varieties, said Usman.

He is,however,happy that he fetches Rs 950-Rs1,050 for every quintal of maize.

Mohammed Qayamuddin,another small farmer,said the issue was not the yield but the increasing price of seed packets every year. The companies,he said,call it the packaging cost. Other farmers in the district echoed a similar demand for seed price control.

According to the Directorate of Maize Research,Saharsa,which sowed maize on 31,669 hectares in year 2007-08,produced 1,32,385 tonnes with 4,180 kg per hectare (kg/ha). West Champaran,in that period,led the kg/ ha table at 4,252 kg/ha,followed by Kosi regions Khagaria (4,007 kg/ha) and Madhepura (3,968 kg/ha).

In 2009-10,according to the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) figures,Bihar produced 14.8 lakh tonnes of maize. The countrys maize production during that period was 167.19 lakh tonnes. The per kg productivity in Bihar was 2,341 kg/ha as compared to the national average of 2,041 kg/ha.

Bihars maize production in 2008-09 was 17.1 lakh tonnes (kg per hectare being 2,676),compared to national production of 197.30 lakh tonne (kg per hectare being 2,414).

Maize is grown during February-June with farmers unable to sow paddy due to the infamous floods submerging the Kosi region almost every year. The state cultivates maize at 6,53,000 hectare and grows it all three seasons of autumn,rabi and summer using both traditional and hybrid seeds.

Ask the farmers about the reasons behind last two years poor yield that forced the government to distribute compensation to them,they trot out different reasons. Some attribute it to weather and rat infestation while others to non-compliance of the prescribed methods of cultivation. They also said that traditional seeds,too,could result in a poor yield.

We have had better yields last three years in comparison to the preceding three years. If the price of new seeds are monitored,farmers are going to be happy, said Laddu Yadav,another farmer at Sirrahi village .

Experts of hybrid seed companies,meanwhile,have been impressing upon farmers to maintain a distance between two crops to increase productivity and minimise rat infestation. Farmers have been also willing to try out inter-cropping to optimize soil capacity.

Besides,Monsanto (US),which is in the state for almost 15 years,Pioneer is another US company that sells hybrid seeds in Bihar. Some Indian companies,like Kaveri,are also in the market. The companies have been citing production figures to push their case.

Shilpa Diverkar Nirula,Director,Maize Business,Monsanto India,told The Indian Express: Soil fertility,growing conditions and the farmers in Bihar have made it possible for the state to be at a higher level of maize productivity as compared to the average maize yields in India. Our experience suggests that farmers in Bihar are extremely progressive and it is our constant endeavour to focus on the evolving needs of the farmers,develop the right products,technologies and share knowledge on agriculture practices,in alignment with the state government.

Asked about the Nitish governments stand on MNCs giving monetary assurance in case of crop failure,the Monsanto director avoided a direct reply. Nirula,instead,said: As a responsible company focused 100% on agriculture,our single-minded focus continues to be on delivering higher yields on Indian farms through superior seeds and extensive farmer education.

However,the companies wont have it easy any longer with Nitish stating that MNCs and private companies cannot get away with selling high-cost seeds and that they have to provide some monetary cover to farmers in the event of crop failure. Attributing bad yield to inimical or unsuitable weather is just not convincing, he said.