Centre plans stricter law against counterfeit farm inputs including pesticides and seeds

BENGALURU: The Centre will soon introduce a stricter law to address the issue of spurious pesticides, non-genuine seeds, and counterfeit fertilisers, said Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

He was speaking to farmers at the ICAR – Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (ICAR-IIHR) campus on Sunday as part of the ongoing ‘Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan’. This initiative aims to connect scientists with farmers under the Centre’s ‘lab to land’ programme. It was his first visit to South India during the campaign, which began on May 29.“Those who are involved in selling fake seeds and pesticides will be severely punished,” said Chouhan, referring to several complaints by farmers in many states.The farmers’ concerns were highlighted in a 2015 study by Ficci, which revealed the loss of over 10 million tonnes of food production due to the use of spurious pesticides that year. It also showed that the value of fake pesticides was growing at 20% per year, with states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Haryana, and Karnataka being among the worst affected.Although the sale of fake or substandard seeds, pesticides, and fertilisers is a punishable offence under existing laws, the absence of proper monitoring and accountability does not yield the desired results on the ground.

The new law is expected to address these enforcement gaps.During his speech, Chouhan also promised to introduce a scheme to reduce farmers’ transportation costs for tomatoes, onions, and potatoes. This would ensure they receive a fair price for their produce without losing money to middlemen who take a significant cut in delivering the farm produce to the desired destination.Under the scheme, the Centre will collaborate with states to bear the transport costs, involving agencies that procure from farmers and deliver the produce to markets in other states.The minister’s farm visits to rural areas near Bengaluru on Sunday were part of the fortnight-long campaign to connect with farmers and gather first-hand information on their day-to-day farm-related problems.“The central govt will collaborate with states, Agricultural Universities, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), farmers, and scientists to draw a comprehensive roadmap to improve farming operations and achieve the goal of developing India as the world’s food basket,” said Chouhan while addressing the gathering of farmers and farm scientists.

He stated that the ‘Abhiyan’ envisions “One Nation, One Agriculture, One Team” to work for the farmers’ interests.In Karnataka, more than 70 interdisciplinary teams comprising scientists and officials from agriculture and allied departments have been visiting farms daily since May 29. These teams are recording feedback directly from farmers to shape need-based, problem-oriented agricultural research programmes.