Executive Summary:
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare addresses concerns regarding counterfeit and substandard agricultural inputs. It outlines existing legal frameworks under the Seeds Act, Fertilizer Control Order, and Insecticide Act, which empower state governments to ensure the quality of seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides. Farmers can lodge complaints with inspectors regarding substandard inputs, potentially leading to legal action against suppliers. The government also supports seed quality through infrastructure and implements the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana to mitigate financial loss due to crop damage.
Key Points / Main Content:
Quality Control Measures:
* State Governments are empowered by existing legislation to check the quality of agricultural inputs and curb the sale of counterfeit products.
* Quality Control Inspectors appointed by State Governments can draw samples and send them to laboratories for testing.
* Actions are taken as per relevant Acts and Rules if samples are found to be spurious/substandard.
Farmer Recourse:
* Farmers can lodge complaints with Inspectors regarding crop failure due to counterfeit inputs, initiating legal action against suppliers.
* Inspectors can take penal action, including license cancellation, stock seizure, warnings, "Stop Sale" orders, and court cases.
Government Support:
* Government supports infrastructure improvement for seed quality, with 178 seed testing laboratories and 25 State Seed Certification Agencies.
* Public sector corporations and agencies are involved in quality seed production.
* Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana mitigates financial loss due to crop damage.
Monitoring and Enforcement:
* Government issues advisories to States/UTs to strictly implement legal frameworks and increase vigilance on manufacturers and dealers.
* Sale of seeds is restricted to their validity period.
* Appropriate action is taken against low quality, expired seeds, or seeds treated with harmful substances.
Impact Analysis:
State Governments:
* Impact: Empowered and responsible for enforcing quality control through appointed inspectors and legal frameworks.
* Action Required: Implement existing legal frameworks strictly, increase vigilance on manufacturers and dealers, and take appropriate action against substandard agricultural inputs.
Farmers:
* Impact: Affected by the availability and quality of agricultural inputs, with potential for crop failure and financial loss due to counterfeit products.
* Action Required: Lodge complaints with Inspectors in case of crop failure due to suspected counterfeit inputs.
Suppliers, Retailers, Manufacturers:
* Impact: Subject to potential legal action, including license cancellation, stock seizure, warnings, and court cases, if found to be supplying substandard agricultural inputs.
* Action Required: Ensure compliance with quality standards and legal requirements for agricultural inputs.
Inspectors:
* Impact: Responsible for drawing samples, sending to laboratories for testing quality, and taking penal action.
* Action Required: Take appropriate action like issue of warning, stop sale Order, seizure of stocks, and file the case in the court etc. if found agriculture inputs substandard/spurious.
Key Entities Referenced
Seeds Act, 1966: A legislation in India to ensure the availability of quality seeds to farmers.
Seed Rules, 1968: Rules established under the Seeds Act, 1966, to regulate seed quality and distribution.
Seeds Control Order, 1983: An order to control the quality and distribution of seeds.
Fertilizer Control Order, 1985: An order to control the quality, price and distribution of fertilizers in India.
Insecticide Act, 1968: A legislation regulating the import, manufacture, sale, transport, distribution and use of insecticides in order to prevent risk to human beings, animals and environment.
Insecticides Rules, 1971: Rules established under the Insecticide Act, 1968, to regulate insecticides.
State Governments: The governments of the individual states within India, responsible for enforcing the quality of agricultural inputs within their respective jurisdictions.
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana: A government-sponsored crop insurance scheme in India designed to provide financial support to farmers suffering crop losses/damage arising out of unforeseen events.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4282
TO BE ANSWERED ON 19TH AUGUST, 2025
COUNTERFEIT AGRICULTURAL INPUTS
4282. SHRI ADV DEAN KURIAKOSE:
Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ(cid:874)ष और (cid:873)कसान क(cid:227)याण मं(cid:287)ी
be pleased to state:
(a) the steps taken to mitigate the proliferation of counterfeit seeds, pesticides, fertilizers
and agricultural inputs;
(b) whether any compensation has been provided to farmers who have lost livelihood or
had low crop yields due to counterfeit agriculture inputs, if so, the details thereof, if not, the
reasons therefor; and
(c) the details of steps taken to curb the sale of expired seeds, low quality seeds and
seeds coated with harmful dyes and treated in carcinogenic chemicals?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
कृ(cid:874)ष एवं (cid:873)कसान क(cid:227)याण रा(cid:207)य म(cid:287)ं ी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)
(a) to (c): In order to ensure availability of quality seeds, pesticides and fertilizers to the
farmers, the various provisions are available in the Seeds Act, 1966, the Seed Rules, 1968,
the Seeds (Control) Order, 1983, the Fertilizer (Control) Order, 1985, Insecticide Act, 1968,
and the Insecticides Rules,1971 etc. The above said legislations empowered the State
Governments to check the quality of agricultural inputs and curb the sale of counterfeit
seeds, fertilizers and pesticides in the Country.
The State Governments appoints the Quality Control Inspectors under relevant Acts
for ensuring quality of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides in their states. These Inspectors are
empowered to draw the samples, send to laboratory for testing quality. In case any samples
of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides are found to be spurious/sub-standard, action taken as
per the relevant provisions of Acts and Rules with respect to seeds, fertilizers and
pesticides.
In case of Crop failure due to counterfeit agriculture inputs, farmers can lodge their
complaint with Inspector to initiate the legal action against suppliers, retailers,manufacturers etc. The Inspector can take penal action namely cancelation of dealer
license, seize the stock, issue of warning, issue 'Stop Sale' Order and file the case in the
Court etc. if found agriculture inputs sub-standard/spurious.
Yield losses and related income losses to farmers are result of multiple factors
including seed quality, weather disruption, soil health, package of practices followed pest
and disease infestations etc. However, Government has taken necessary steps to ensure
quality seeds become available to farmers by providing support to improve infrastructure for
seed quality. There are 178 seed testing laboratories in the Country and 25 State Seed
Certification Agencies are working under the supervision and control of various State
Governments. Besides several public sector corporations and agencies are involved in
quality seed production. Besides, Government also implements Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima
Yojana to mitigate the financial loss due to crop damage. Due to the concerted efforts of
DA&FW and State Agriculture Department and implementation of various schemes in the
agriculture sector, food grains production has increased from 297.50 Million Tons to 353.96
Million Tons in the country during the year 2019-20 to 2024-25 despite changing weather
pattern.
Besides, Government of India also issues advisories time to time to all the
States/UTs, to ensure implementation of existing legal framework strictly to stepped up vigil
on the manufacturer premises and storage, sale point of dealers/retailers to check the sale
of spurious seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, so as to ensure supply of quality of agricultural
inputs to the farmers in the Country.
As per the Seeds Act and Rules the seeds only within their validity period are
allowed to sale to the farmers. The Seed Inspectors, found any low quality seeds or expired
seeds, seeds coated with harmful dyes, treated with carcinogenic chemicals etc., the
appropriate action like issue of warning, stop sale Order, seizure of stocks, and file the case
in the court etc. are being done by the concerned State Government/UT.
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