To provide genuine pesticides and quality agriculture-inputs to the farmers in Punjab, the state Agriculture Department has launched a special drive to undertake vigorous inspection of pesticide and fertilizer shops or godowns on mass level from over past 10 days to prevent sale of spurious agri-inputs.
The state-wide raids have been conducted on 410 shops, and subsequently, 207 samples have been drawn from various pesticides and fertilizers and further sent for examination, said the state Agriculture secretary KS Pannu on Sunday.
He said that out of the results received so far, five samples have been found misbranded. “FIR has been registered in one case, and in another case, a complaint has been filed with the Police for appropriate action in this regard besides seizure of stock at four places,” he added.
Pannu said that the checking of pesticide shops would continue till the massive drive against unscrupulous dealers reaches its logical end as the sole aim of this move was to prevent them from selling or supplying spurious pesticides in the State.
He pointed out that several flying squads have been pressed into service for inter-district checking. Three teams have already been assigned their duties to inspect railway stations in Mansa district, suspected to be transporting spurious pesticides from neighbouring states, he added.
Raids have been conducted at Nangal in Ropar district, at Guru Har Sahai in Ferozepur district, a vehicle was caught with 10 quintals of pesticide at Malerkotla in Sangrur district, at Harike in Tarn Taran district, and in Bathinda district, from where samples have also been collected and sent for analysis.
Besides, two suppliers of spurious material have been arrested by the police from Sangrur and Delhi separately.