85 FIRs filed over Soybean seed complaints: Maharashtra agriculture minister

The Maharashtra government will keep the existing crop insurance scheme for the 2026 Kharif season unchanged, as announced by agriculture minister Dattatray Bharne on July 31, 2026.

The agriculture department received 73,337 complaints of poor soybean seed germination, with the most from Akola, Amravati, Buldhana and Yavatmal districts.

Of 7,811 seed samples collected for testing, 2,082 were found substandard, leading to 85 FIRs against seed companies including Brewster Plant Genetics Pvt Ltd, Ravi Hybrid Seeds & Research, Shri Oswal Seeds, Yashoda Seeds and Pioneer Genetics LLP.

Soybean is cultivated on an average area of 47.32 lakh hectares in Maharashtra; as of July 26, sowing was completed on 45.10 lakh hectares, with no seed shortage as availability was 18.57 lakh quintals against a requirement of 13.13 lakh quintals.

Poor germination has affected nearly 2.47 lakh hectares of soybean cultivation, and further legal action will depend on laboratory findings and field inspections.