Farmers in Patiala have won a significant victory, securing compensation for losses incurred due to the supply of spurious sunflower seeds. The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Patiala has ordered the payment of ₹76,800 per acre to farmers whose sunflower crops failed in 2022. This failure was attributed to the use of fake seeds. The ruling was delivered by Commission President Pushvinder Singh and Member Gurdev Singh Nagi. The compensation is to be paid by the seed dealers, Sham Trading Company and Rajpura Pesticides, and the manufacturer, M/s Synergene Crop Innovations. The company is based in Kukatpally, Hyderabad.
In addition to the per-acre compensation, the Commission also orally awarded an extra ₹35,000 to each affected farmer. This amount is meant to cover the mental distress and hardship caused by the situation. The seeds supplied were manufactured by M/s Synergene Crop Innovations. Investigations revealed that the company’s licence to sell seeds in Punjab had expired in 2019. This means they were not authorised to supply seeds in the state at the time of the sale, making their products illegal.
The case was brought before the Patiala Consumer Commission. The Commission made its decision in favour of the farmers on August 4, 2025. This legal action followed earlier complaints made by farmers to the Punjab Chief Minister and the SSP of Patiala. These complaints led to the formation of a special committee to look into the matter. The committee had initially suggested a compensation of ₹17,000 per acre. This recommendation was for 20 farmers who had suffered losses across 88 acres of land. However, out of these 20 farmers, 12 decided to pursue their case further by filing complaints in the consumer court. The Commission’s final order provides a much higher level of compensation, reflecting the severity of the loss faced by the farmers. This case highlights the importance of consumer protection and the legal recourse available to farmers when faced with such issues.