Farmers in the district have demanded compensation from the government after reporting severe losses in their maize crop. According to the affected cultivators, although the crop appears healthy, green and well-grown from the outside, the maize cobs have failed to develop kernels, leaving them with little to no harvest despite months of cultivation.
Taking cognisance of the complaints, the Directorate of Agriculture has constituted a high-level inquiry committee to investigate the matter. The panel will be headed by Vinod Kumar Yadav, Joint Director of Agriculture for the Agra Division, and will examine the reasons behind the unusual crop failure.
The committee includes District Agriculture Officer Avesh Kumar Singh, Yogesh Kumar Sharma, who is in charge of the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), and a representative of Hill India, the company that supplied the seeds. Officials said the team has been tasked with conducting a detailed assessment of the affected fields and identifying the factors responsible for the problem.
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As part of the investigation, experts will evaluate the genetic quality of the maize seeds supplied to farmers, along with the condition of the soil and moisture levels in the affected areas. The panel will also determine whether the failure was caused by defective seeds, unfavourable weather conditions, or an imbalance of nutrients in the soil.
District Agriculture Officer Avesh Kumar Singh said that strict action would be taken if the inquiry establishes any defects or fraudulent practices related to the seeds. In such a situation, legal proceedings could be initiated against the seed company and compensation would be provided to affected farmers. He added that a show-cause notice has already been served to the manufacturer, seeking an explanation regarding the complaints.
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According to Singh, the department has received grievances from farmers who purchased subsidised maize seeds from the government agriculture seed depot located in Raya. A total of 54 farmers used around 16 quintals of seeds supplied by Hill India through government distribution centres.
Explaining the possible reasons behind the crop damage, Singh noted that the hybrid maize variety is highly sensitive to temperature fluctuations. February is considered the ideal sowing period for this particular variety, and crops planted during that time have reportedly performed well.
He said that fields sown by March 10 showed satisfactory growth and grain development. However, many farmers planted maize after harvesting potato or wheat crops, often beyond March 10, when temperatures had already risen to between 38 and 40 degrees Celsius. Under such conditions, the crop's pistils reportedly dried up, preventing proper pollination and kernel formation, ultimately leading to crop failure.
Interestingly, the same seed variety supplied by Hill India was cultivated in several other parts of Mathura district and produced normal yields. However, a significant number of fields in the Baldeo development block experienced the problem of empty cobs. Officials who conducted field inspections confirmed that the farmers' complaints were genuine and warranted further investigation.
Singh further stated that the department would prepare a comparative report analysing the average productivity of both affected and unaffected fields. The findings will be submitted to the district administration for further action.
Meanwhile, District Magistrate Chandra Prakash Singh has also constituted a separate team to oversee the matter. The committee is being led by Chief Development Officer Pooja Gupta and includes the District Agriculture Officer, the head of the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, District Horticulture Officer Prashant Verma and Senior Assistant (Plant Protection) Sanjeev Kumar. The team will coordinate with agricultural experts and monitor the inquiry process to ensure a comprehensive assessment of the losses suffered by farmers.
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