A special Delhi Police team raided the premises of a spurious pesticide manufacturer located in the village of Hirankudna in Najafgarh of Thana Mundka, New Delhi on July 30. The police discovered large amounts of duplicate and illegal pesticides that were produced under the brand names of famous multinational and national pesticide companies.
The spurious products seized in the raid displayed logos of renowned companies like Bayer, UPL, Dhanuka, Shriram, FMC, Crystal, Syngenta, Adama, and PI.
Demand for probe
Agro Chem Federation of India (ACFI) has demanded a probe into this matter urgently, saying that such illicit activities must be checked in the interest of the farmers and the consumers.
According to ACFI statement, “A detailed complaint and FIR are yet to be filed by the legal authorities. We vehemently demand from the current regulators and authorities at higher levels to enquire and investigate into it.”
The ACFI added in its statement that such fake pesticides are not only detrimental to the health of the soil, but also to the health of the consumer. In addition, they put an additional burden on the farmers’ pocket.
Author’s opinion:
The farmers think they are using pesticides from famous brands, but actually the pesticides are fake. This is a kind of betrayal to the entire farming community.
The ACFI has labelled the manufacture of spurious pesticides as a heinous crime, which should attract heavy penalty under non-bailable and cognizable offenses. It is true because indirectly when we eat fruits and vegetables that are being grown using such spurious pesticides, imagine the harm it does to our health.
Already, many pesticides are under the scanner for the presence of harmful chemicals in them. Fruits and vegetables get coated with these chemicals and they slowly harm the health. Now imagine what spurious pesticides can do! They are being produced illegally without proper checking of chemicals and with no regulation of quality standards.
This truly is a heinous crime and needs proper investigation; more important, the accused should be punished appropriately so that it sets an example and puts a hold to the manufacturing and marketing of fake pesticides.
