India Punjab Government to Act Tough Against Dealers Selling Fertilizers, Agro-Chemicals Without Bills

To decimate the possibility of sale of fake fertilizers and agro chemicals, the Punjab Government has decided to deal strictly with the dealers selling fertilizers and insecticides without bills.

‘Tandarust Punjab Mission’ director Kahan Singh Pannu has shot off a communiqué to the state Agriculture Director asking for the strict implementation of the Insecticides Act, 1968, and the Fertilizer Control Act, 1985.

Pannu has also asked to forward the same instructions to all Deputy Commissioners of the state to further instruct the Agriculture Officers at the district level to ensure continuous checking of insecticide shops and to make the farmers aware about the consequences of fake insecticides.

It has been clarified in the letter that the District Agriculture Officer will ensure the adequate compliance of the instructions of the two laws and stop the sale of fertilizer and agro chemicals without billing by any private dealer in Punjab.

“If a dealer is found to be selling fertilizers or other material without a bill or not conforming to the quality parameters, legal action should be taken against him and the officer should not refrain from canceling his license,” stated the letter.

“To ensure an access to pure and natural agricultural produce to the people of Punjab, it is essential to provide quality fertilizers and agro chemicals to the farmers. Under the ‘Tandarust Punjab Mission’, the dealers selling fertilizers and insecticides without bills are being strictly dealt with,” said Pannu.

He said that after the after green revolution, the use of chemicals in crop cultivation is being done at a very large scale. “In the State, chemical fertilizers, seeds and agro-chemicals are sold in huge quantities by the private traders through about 8,000 shops. It has been observed that most private shopkeepers have been selling fertilizers, medicines and other agricultural inputs to the farmers without any regular bills, due to which the possibility of sale of artificial fertilizers and other farm produce cannot be ruled out,” he added.

Pannu, who is also the Punjab Pollution Control Board chairman, said that under the Mission, clean drinking water, food and air have to be provided to the people.

“As standard fertilizers and other agro chemicals, used for farming, are the means of producing better food, therefore, it is necessary to ensure availability of good quality fertilizers and other agrochemicals to the farmers,” he said.

Pannu said that ensuring proper quality and quantity of fertilizers and agricultural inputs is the responsibility of the shopkeepers and it is a legal and moral responsibility of the officials of Agriculture Department to ensure quality agricultural inputs for the farmers.

Keeping this in view, the Director Agriculture has been asked to ensure by the powers vested under the Insecticide Act, 1968, and the Fertilizer Control Act, 1985, that fertilizers and agro chemicals are not sold by any dealer in the state without proper billing, he added.