NAGPUR: The failure of Maharashtra 's agriculture department in taking good practices to the fields has resulted in farmers developing blind faith in pesticide and seed dealers.On Saturday, TOI visited Selu taluka in Wardha district and spotted representatives of manufacturers rallying farmers in jeeps to a spot between Wadgaon and Antargaon villages for demonstrating advantages of a particular variety of cotton and pesticides. "We have to trust dealers and company representatives as we have no other option. No one from the state agriculture department has ever come to us but almost all big firms approach us at least 2-3 times a year to demonstrate products. Who would know about the effect of pesticides, their combinations better than dealers?" asks Giridhar Barke , who owns a 20-acre land in Wadgaon. Barke's brother Murlidhar and other farmers from Wadgaon said pesticide companies guide them about the use of different chemicals. "The knowledge is then passed on to the farm labourers," they said.Uttam Patil from Masada village and his son Vrushal, a commerce graduate who is completely into agriculture, told TOI that the manufacturers were their sole guides. "We also visit the fields of other farmers to check the results before deciding on any brand for ourselves. We have been doing this for decades. Never ever has any krishi sahayak visited our village. So whom do we rely on?" said Vrushal.A very young and enterprising farmer from Masada, Mayur Adsad, who is a mechanical engineer, told TOI that despite his education he was forced to believe the dealers more than agriculture officers as the department never sends its people to interact with farmers. "Dealers give demonstrations in the farms only. They don't do for free, we have to buy the variety or pesticides. We have seen results in our fields and hence we believe them," he said.

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