Farmers Distressed Due to Multi-Flowering in Sunflower

Farmers had great hopes for sunflower after a bad mustard yield, but they are facing a yield loss due to multi-flowering in the crop, which has alarmed farmers in Ambala and Kurukshetra.

Instead of a single flower on the plant, there are multiple flowers remarked Vinod Rana, a farmer from Khuda Kalan village. Since the flowers aren't growing, the output will remain minimal. He has sown sunflowers on 7 acres of land. On 7 acres, he had sown planted sunflowers. 

Hike in Price of Sunflower Seeds

While a 2-kg bag of sunflower seeds cost Rs 1500 last year, He paid Rs 3,500 this year for the same size package. Vinod and others farmers like him have filed a complaint with the Department of Agriculture. They had losses in wheat and mustard previously, and now the sunflower crop is experiencing the same fate.

Pradeep Chauhan of Sambhalkha village had sown 2 acres of sunflower last year, as the crop fetched decent prices. Now, he has grown sunflowers on 7 acres this year.  However, after observing the state of the field, he and other farmers like him are now anticipating a significant loss in sunflower yield this year.

Sukhminder Singh of Sapera village had sown sunflowers first after crop loss in wheat, but the output is likely to stay on the lower side due to multi-flowering.  Many farmers do not have bills against seed purchases and therefore are unable to file complaints against seed sellers

According to Rakesh Bains, a spokesman for the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni), dealers have sold low-quality seeds to farmers. Generally, the output remains about 10-11 quintals per acre, but given the state of the field this year, they have estimated a major drop in production. The union has advised the farmers to file complaints with the dealers and to take the corporations to consumer court.