The seeds of two popular paddy varieties, PR-131 and PR-132, which recently sparked controversy after not being listed for sale at the first two Kisan Melas held in Patiala and Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar, are now set to be sold at upcoming melas. They will be available at the two-day Kisan Mela at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) starting Friday.PAU Vice-Chancellor Satbir Singh Gosal defended the varieties, attributing last year’s crop damage to adverse weather conditions similar to those in 2022. He advised farmers to avoid early sowing and to carry out transplantation only after June 20.Paddy is cultivated on over 32 lakh hectares in the state during the Kharif season.The controversy arose after PR-131 and PR-132 were excluded from sale at Kisan Melas held at Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) in Rauni (Patiala) and Ballowal Saunkhri (SBS Nagar), while a new variety, PR-133, was introduced for the upcoming season.Farmers had alleged that PR-131 and PR-132 were susceptible to dwarf disease, leading to significant crop losses last year. Assessments indicated that more than 8,000 acres of paddy in Patiala district alone were affected.Following visits to several villages — including Ichewal, Rohti Basta, Rohti Mohda, Rohta, Lubana Karmu, Kaidupur, and Dhangerha — Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh ordered a special girdawari (crop damage assessment).Subsequent surveys revealed that early-sown crops — particularly PR-131, PR-132, and PR-114 transplanted before June — were the most severely impacted, showing stunted growth and poor grain formation.After the Rauni Kisan Mela in Patiala, the seeds were also withheld from sale at the Ballowal Saunkhri mela in SBS Nagar, with authorities aiming to avoid potential protests. However, the varieties were made available at the Regional Research Station in Faridkot, where they received an encouraging response from farmers.