Guwahati, January 16, 2010: Instead of sowing chemically treated seeds supplied by the authority of the agriculture department in Manipur as relief to the drought affected farmers, they consumed it, not paying heed to the warning of health hazard it might cause.

Manipur agriculture department distributed seeds of mustard and pea to the farmers in drought affected area last year as relief assistance to them during the current Rabi crop season.

Official source said that Rs 7 crore has been sanctioned for providing relief assistance to drought affected farmers of all nine districts in the form of agricultural input subsidy.

Rabi crop seeds were distributed to the farmers through local authorities like the gram panchayat, local clubs and NGOs by the Deputy Commissioners of each district.

However, as quantity is too meager the farmers consumed it instead of sowing by the farmers.

According to the farmers, they received only a kilogram of pea seed or mustard which will amount to nothing if they sow them in their fields.

"We got only a Kg of pea or a Kg of mustard and what can we do with this meager quantity.

As we could not sow the seeds in our field we have eaten it," T Nabachandra of Maklang village in Imphal west district said.

The seeds distributed by the department through district administration were treated with chemicals containing Mercury Chloride which would cause health hazard if consumed.

They also aware of the caution put down by the officials of the department while conducting training and awareness programmes in their locality but thought they would not die of it immediately, he said in a light vein.

However, experts of the state agriculture department said consuming the seeds treated with chemical is very dangerous as the chemical used is Mercury Chloride which is insoluble in the human body.

Mercury Chloride can cause cancer, the expert said.

The state Agriculture department had estimated 50% reduction annual food production of the state due to agricultural drought last year.

Manipur government declared the state as 'drought-hit' in June last year.

Requirement of rice in the state (at the rate of 210 kilograms per individual) in a year is estimated to be 621.34 lakh metric tons.

Agriculture department has been making hectic efforts to make up the shortage in production by encouraging farmers to grow pea and mustard in their fields.

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