Punjab agriculture department withdraws order allowing private dealers to sell PR 126 at MRP

: The Punjab agriculture department on Tuesday withdrew its order to allow seed dealers to sell the PR 126 short-duration variety of paddy crop on “unregulated” maximum retail price following opposition from farmers’ unions that demanded the state government to provide the seeds directly to agriculturists and check its hoarding and black marketing by private players. Punjab agriculture department withdraws order allowing private dealers to sell PR 126 at MRP During a meeting of seed dealers with director agriculture Gurwinder Singh on the department’s order to crack down on the black marketing of the PR126 seeds in Chandigarh on Monday, the director had verbally allowed the dealers to sell the seeds at ₹100 per kg, which is around the same price as the MRP, a department official said. “The order issued by joint director agriculture Avtar Singh to allow sale of PR 126 variety on MRP by private players has been withdrawn immediately. In the May 5 order, the joint director of agriculture said that it has been learnt that some private seed dealers are selling PR 126 variety at prices higher than the fixed price of ₹ 43.75 to the farmers, who are suffering financial loss due to this.