Steps against fake pesticide makers, dealers: Sindh government to conduct audit, increase licence fees

The Sindh Agriculture Department has started crackdown against suppliers and dealers of fake pesticides with increasing fees for fresh and renewal of licences and auditing their accounts according to official rules, sources told Business Recorder here on Monday.
The Agriculture Department has made this decision due to many complaints regarding production and supply of fake pesticides in the province. In the first phase, the department has increased fees for fresh and new licences to pesticides companies and shops.
According to the notification issued in this regard, the Agriculture Department would charge Rs 0.2 million as fee for issuance of new licence to company, which was previously only Rs 10,000. The renewal of licence fee of company would be the Rs 0.1 million, which was only Rs 50,000 earlier, sources said. Similarly, the new licence fee of pesticides shop is Rs 50,000, which was only Rs 1000 in the past, and renewal fee would be Rs 25,000 which was only Rs 300 formerly. Besides, the Agriculture Department has started audit of all registered 190 pesticides companies of the province.
After this, the department would decide to renew the licences of the companies, sources said. Sources were of the view that some multinational and domestic companies would not come under that sort of audit as they have already good reputation in the field of pesticides on international and national levels.
Moreover, sources said that Agriculture Department had imposed unannounced ban on the issuance of new licences and renewal of licences of companies and shops for last two years just to discourage fake pesticides companies and shops to avoid destruction of agriculture production. After completion of audit, the ban would end, and renewal of licences would be issued to those companies and shops which would be found deserving, and new licences would also be issued to well-reputed companies and businessman, sources added.
In this connection, talking to Business Recorder, Secretary, Agriculture, Agha Jan Akhtar, said that strict policy regarding issuance of licences of pesticides would help the government in preventing fake companies from supplying fake pesticides in the province.
He said that in the past, growers had suffered huge losses due to use of fake pesticides, "but we would not let the fake companies destroy agriculture". He said that due to increase in fees, now only real businessmen would come forward, and rest would flee automatically.
He said that many companies are buying pesticides from China and other sources. They have flats and small places where they do packing of the material and supply in the market. He said: "We are auditing the companies and seeing whether they have proper warehouses, stores and other required facilities or not. If we find any company with incomplete arrangements which are required as per rules, we would not renew their licences". He Said: "According to my perception, around 80 out of 190 companies would be proved with proper arrangements, and their licences would be renewed as per fresh rules.