Chitwan, Feb 29:  The government is to provide relief support to the farmers who suffered as a result of fake paddy seeds. The farmers will receive 20 per cent of their total expenditure in relief assistance.    

Farmers in 13 districts including Chitwan suffered huge losses after the paddy they sowed did not yield any produce. The paddy plants were grain-less at the time of harvest.    

The damage incurred by the farmers who cultivated paddy in 17,806 hectares of land is reported to be around 170 million rupees, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development. The minimum base price of it is 230 million.    

The relief support to the victim farmers has already been dispatched to the respective municipalities through the comptroller's office, spokesperson of the ministry Dr Hari Bahadur KC said. The support is aimed at meeting the cost of the seeds and fertilizer.    

The department of commerce, supplies and consumer protection has meanwhile penalized the company that introduced the seeds in the country.

The Sunrise Agriculture Research centre in Lamahi, Dang had imported the paddy seeds. The hybrid seeds named Garima were imported from the Rinova Seed Science India Private Limited in Hyderabad, India.    

The seeds were found to be fake only at the time of harvest, when the paddy plants did not bear the crop.