During a recent visit to different areas, many farmers told this correspondent that they have reduced Robi cultivation target this year.

Abdul Wahab of Naodapara in Rajshahi said he has lowered potato cultivation target to 15 bighas from 80 bighas last year due to the seed crisis.

But there was no noticeable effort by government agencies to augment seed supply.

Taking the advantage, adulterated and low quality smuggled seeds are being sold in markets.

Farmers said the crisis is due to large scale consumption of seeds during the monga (food crisis before harvest) period and short supply by BADC (Bangladesh Agriculture development Corporation), the government's main agency supplying seeds.

They said the crisis of potato seed is more acute than other Rabi crops. Potato seeds are selling at between Tk 1000 and Tk 1200 per 82 kg bag against last year's Tk 600- Tk 750.

BADC potato seeds are good but those are not available now, farmers said.

Wheat seeds are selling at Tk 700 per maund against BADC's price of Tk 600 and Boro seeds at Tk 450 per bag of 20 kg against the BADC's rate of Tk 280.

Abdur Rauf Chowdhury, BADC Joint Director for Rajshahi division, said they supplied 2000 metric tons of potato seeds, 5150 metric tons of wheat and 2725 metric tons of Boro seeds to their 444 dealers in the region and all those were sold by November 30.

BADC supplies around five per cent of the demand.

Shamsul Haque, additional director of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in Rangpur, also admitted an "acute potato seed crisis" this year. This is because monga compelled many farmers to consume their seeds kept in cold storages.

Abdus Salam, additional director of DAE in Rajshahi, however denied that there is crisis. Framers have their own seeds stored in cold storages, he said.

Farmers in different areas are now frantically moving for potato seeds, but the stock ran out in mid- November, said Fazlul Haq of Pragati Seed House in Rajshahi.

He said, during the monga, many growers sold their seed potato at up to Tk 560 per maund, creating the crisis.

He said prices of Boro paddy and wheat will go higher because their peak sowing season is yet to come. It is about 10 days away.

During the five-day tour of northern districts by this correspondent, farmers were seen in queues in front of cold storages of Rajshahi, Natore and Chapainawabganj to lift their stored seed potato.

Many farmers also made allegations that some cold storage owners sold their seed potato.

Shafiqul Islam of Adanarayanpur in Mohonpur upazila waiting in front of Uttara Cold Storage at Baya in Rajshahi said he stored 100 bags of potato seeds. The cold storage owner sold 50 bags out of this.

"Now, I have to collect seeds from outsides", he said.

Sohel, a cold storage owner, said many farmers took loans from them and they have to repay the loan with potato seeds.

Official sources said, this year's potato cultivation target in 16 northern districts is 2.29 lakh hectares against 1.92 lakh hectares last year. But other sources said this is unlikely to be fulfilled.

Dr Manjur Hossain, a seed expert at Rajshahi University, said at least 40 percent of the seeds in open markets are infected with diseases.

Abu Bakar Siddiqui of Teghore in Paba upazila alleged that many seed companies are doing brisk business but their seeds are not guaranteed.

"I cultivated potato on 82 bighas of land with seeds from a private seed company last year but 40 percent of the seeds turned out to be virus-affected ", Siddiqui said. The company later closed its Rajshahi office, he said.

There should be a government agency to certify seeds to check cheating by certain private seed companies, he felt.

Agriculture experts said last year's Boro cultivation target was not achieved due to seed crisis and the same thing may be repeated this year also. This year's Boro cultivation target is 12.75 lakh hectares.

The situation is the same for seeds of onion, mustard and other winter crops, they said.