Farmers oppose move to shift seed certification office

They stage a protest in front of the Coimbatore Collectorate

Farmers affiliated to the All India Kisan Sabha staged a protest in front of the Coimbatore Collectorate on Monday condemning the State Government’s move to shift the seed certification office to Chennai. The farmers demanded that the Government give up the move to shift the certification office that had served farmers in the Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode and a few other districts for over 50 years. The farmers said that by shifting the office to Chennai, the Government would be forcing the farmers to travel to Chennai to have their seed-related or crop-related grievances redressed. The move would also affect over 800 employees. It would only be appropriate if the Government gave up the move because the office would continue to be a part of agriculture-related establishments in Coimbatore, starting with the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.