Agriconcern, a private agroproduct firm, has contradicted a report, "Dying potato plants worry farmers in Rangpur: Substandard seeds blamed" published in The Daily Star on January 26. The company said it did not import or deliver any substandard potato seeds.

In a rejoinder sent by Agriconcern Managing Director Dr SA Quader, the company said: “Seed is not the only source of plant disease. Soil, climate or any other environmental factors may contribute towards disease outbreaks of any kind.”

It also said the seed, imported by Agriconcern, underwent strict quality control and certification processes.

OUR REPLY

The Daily Star's Rangpur correspondent prepared the report after talking to affected farmers in several upazilas of the district. The farmers, who bought potato seeds from the private firm and whose potato plants were affected by disease, complained about the potato seeds and demanded compensation.

The local agents of Agriconcern — Rafiqul Islam and Mostafizar Rahman — also acknowledged that the farmers' demanded compensation for the loss due to poor seed quality.

Prior to publishing the report, the correspondent also spoke to Dr SA Quader, the managing director, over the phone. The report carried his explanation.