The Agriculture Department officials seized unauthorised sale of cotton seeds worth of ₹2.69 lakh and booked two individuals.The officials conducted raids on two individuals while selling BT cotton seeds without valid permission in Gurmitkal taluk and Shahapur city.Acting on credible information, the team headed by Joint Director of Agriculture Department Ratendranath Sugur, who released a press note on Friday, conducted a raid at Mallapur village in Gurmitkal taluk and seized cotton seeds weighing 53.72 kg, which is worth ₹1.02 lakh, and lodged a complaint against Srinivas Narasappa Bantu.In another similar raid in Shahapur city, the officials seized 8.37 kg of cotton seeds, which is worth ₹1.67 lakh, and lodged a complaint against Gurulingappa.The raids were jointly conducted by the police and officials. While appealing to farmers to buy cotton seeds from authorised retailers or dealers, Mr. Sugur said that anybody, including farmers, can inform the department’s officer if they find illegal or unauthorised or substandard seeds being sold across the district. Published - June 06, 2026 07:29 pm IST