Pvt firm manager booked for selling bogus BT Cotton seeds

The manager of a private seed company has been booked for allegedly selling bogus BT Cotton seeds worth around Rs 5 lakh to over two dozen farmers in Pusad tehsil in Yavatmal.

About 26 local farmers lodged a joint complaint alleging that they have been cheated by the company ‘Virgin Seeds’, Pusad Police Station sources said on Thursday.

Accordingly, samples of the seeds were sent to the Agriculture department for testing in their laboratory. The lab report confirmed that seeds were substandard and incapable of germinating.

The police, on receipt of the laboratory report, registered a criminal offence against Virgin Seed’s manager Vishnu Joshi under relevant sections of the IPC. Further investigations are underway, sources added.