Unauthorized Pesticides Seized by Agriculture Department’s Flying Squad in Punjab

The flying squad of the agriculture department seized illegal bio-stimulants and pesticide stocks from various locations in Bathinda on Wednesday, just a day after it was formed.

JPS Grewal, the joint director of the department, said the team examined seven commercial facilities and seized 2,400 kg of organic manure, more than 700 liters of humic acid, and 190 liters of seaweed.

If sold to farmers, these materials could potentially threaten crops because they lack a license that permits their sale. For additional legal action, a complaint has been made to the Bathinda police administration, he said. Grewal reported that the investigators also found insecticides in a different Bathinda godown. Samples of all sized items were taken for examination.

Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, the state's agricultural minister, formed a three-person flying team on Tuesday to start a campaign to launch a drive to pick out spurious farm materials.

The minister reported on Tuesday that there had been complaints about the availability of fake and inferior agriculture chemicals, seeds, and fertilizers following an evaluation of the cotton harvest in several areas.

He stated that the government will take strict measures against the violators who were producing and selling the unauthorized products.

In Andhra Pradesh, two months ago, the Vigilance and Enforcement (V&E) officers, along with the staff of Food Safety, Civil Supplies, and Legal Metrology, raided wholesale and retail stores dealing with edible oils, seeds, fertilizer, and pesticides as part of the efforts to check spurious stock and illegal hoarding of various commodities.

According to Additional Director General, V&E, Shankha Brata Bagchi, more than 30 teams conducted the raids around the State and filed cases under Section 6A of the Essential Commodities Act in addition to filing criminal cases.