Srinagar, Dec 12: Agriculture Department Kashmir on Tuesday seized 200 quintals of organic fertilizers which were found without specifications on the bags in south Kashmir’s Shopian district.
Director Agriculture Kashmir, Chowdhary Muhammad Iqbal along with Law Enforcement Inspector (Fertilizer) Shopian carried out the seizure while monitoring fertilizer distribution in Shopian.
“We have seized 200 quintals of spurious organic fertilizer. The inspections are being conducted across different districts in Kashmir to disallow the sale and marketing of substandard,” he said.
The director said the department will not tolerate and allow any kind of substandard fertilizers to the valley and has issued strict instructions in this regard.
“The Agriculture Department is committed to cease the marketing/availability of sub-standard and spurious pesticides and insecticides. In this regard, we have strengthened our law enforcement wing while regular market checks are carried out,” he said.
Iqbal said the spurious fertilizers are damaging the agriculture and horticulture industry. He appealed to the farmers to purchase fertilizers with due consultation from experts.
Officials in the agriculture department Shopian said they got inputs about the substandard organic (Vermicompost) fertilizer. Later the enforcement wing visited the place to take a first-hand appraisal and they saw that there was no manufacturing date or batch number, and those were without specifications. “We will do the testing of the fertilizers in our lab,” they said.
It has also been made mandatory for all manufacturers/distributors to get prior testing of their products at source and inform the same to the Agriculture Department before making it available in the markets.
All companies have to seek permission to sell their products to dealers having valid licenses. Companies to supply/sell only those products in Kashmir as recommended by the competent authority.
Officials in the enforcement wing said the department has instructed enforcement officers of all the districts to review the overall working of the law enforcement agency.
They said that over the past few months of this year, the department has found more than 25 samples of substandard organic fertilizers in Kashmir.
In 2022, some 24 samples of organic fertilizers were found substandard and action was initiated, they said, adding. “Our aim is to ensure the availability of quality insecticides, pesticides and fertilizers to the farmers through proper sales outlets well in time.”
On the other hand, the department also faces a manpower shortage, especially in districts, which is also a hurdle in its enforcement, the officials said.
