The government today allowed farmers to purchase seeds with the old Rs 500 bank notes. The revised rule, intended to help farmers for the current Rabi crop, says seeds can be purchased from the above locations on production of a proof of identity. With the onset of winter, farmers were gearing for the Rabi season. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s November 8 announcement has taken a toll on rural population as the agriculture sector is entirely cash-dependent. Cash crunch meant that farmers had no money to pay farm hands, threatening production of key commodities. This is in addition to the decision taken earlier for making cash available with the farmers by permitting them to draw up to Rs 25,000 per week from their KYC compliant accounts subject to the normal loan limits and conditions apart from the other facilities announced last week.