Sindh Agriculture department has launched crackdown against fake pesticides companies and dealers by increasing license fees and conducting audit of the companies. Well-placed sources told Business Recorder on Tuesday that the department took the decision after receiving several complaints against production and supply of fake pesticides in the province.
In the first phase, the department has increased license fee and renewal fee of license of companies and shops, the sources said. According to the notification issued in this regard, Agriculture department would charge Rs 2 lacs as fee for issuance of new license against the earlier fee of Rs 10,000. While the renewal fee of the license has also been increased to Rs 1 lac from Rs 5,000.
Similarly, the license fee of pesticides' shop has also been increased to Rs 50,000 from Rs 1,000 and renewal to Rs 25,000 from Rs 300. The agriculture department has also started audit of all registered 190 pesticides companies of the province. After the audit, the department would decide whether to renew or not the licenses of the companies.
They said that some multinational and domestic companies having good reputation in pesticides production at international and national level would not come under the audit drive. The sources revealed that the department had imposed unannounced ban on issuance of new license and renewal of licenses of pesticides companies and shops for the last two years just to discourage fake pesticides companies and shops. After completion of the audit drive, the 'ban' would be lifted and licenses of those companies and shops complying with the set criteria would be renewed, the sources added.