Agriculture Department intensifies crackdown on fake fertilisers

GUNTUR : The agriculture department has intensified vigil to combat the sale of counterfeit fertilisers and substandard seeds. During the recent Rabi season, despite officials’ inspections and seizures of unauthorised fertilisers and seeds worth crores, many farmers incurred losses from purchasing fake fertilisers and low-quality seeds at inflated prices.

Union Minister Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar recently drew attention to this issue during a review meeting on agriculture and related departments. In response, agriculture and vigilance department officials have heightened their scrutiny and conducted inspections.

Last Friday, joint teams from the agriculture, vigilance, and enforcement departments inspected six farm input shops, seizing 10.31 quintals of mirchi and cotton seeds valued at Rs 28.31 lakh. Samples of these seeds have been sent to labs for quality testing. In light of the seriousness of the situation, a toll-free number has been set up for the public to report issues related to agriculture products.

Nunna Venkateswarulu, agriculture officer of Guntur said, “It is mandatory for all shops to display prices of products, and severe action will be taken against those charging prices exceeding the maximum retail price (MRP).” Additionally, officials are addressing concerns about bulk storage of seeds and fertilisers leading to artificial scarcity and price hikes. This forces farmers to purchase cheaper inputs of inferior quality, which are susceptible to pests, viruses, and bacteria, thereby reducing yields.

To counteract these issues, vendors must now submit sales details and obtain prior permission from agriculture officials before selling cotton and mirchi crop seeds. Non-compliance will result in heavy fines, legal action, and criminal charges. Awareness programmes are being held to educate farmers about crucial parameters to consider when purchasing farm inputs, aiming to prevent them from falling victim to such vendors.