Gujarat’s agri department launches special intensive verification campaign

Updated: May 27th, 2024

Gujarat agriculture department

Gujarat agriculture department today launched a special intensive verification campaign to provide farmers with high-quality fertilisers, seeds, and medicines.

The campaign mobilised 39 teams from field-level operations across the state. 19 state-level squads conducted thorough verifications in various districts.

In Vadodara, the department conducted spot checks on 81 vendors across Dabhoi, Padra, Savli, Vadodara, and Karajan talukas, focusing on selling seeds, fertilisers, and medicines.

Officials shared that 52 samples, including seeds, fertilisers, and medicines, were collected and sent to state-approved laboratories for analysis during these checks. Of these, 36 fertiliser samples and one drug sample were explicitly highlighted.

Deputy director of agriculture, Chirag Patel, stated that 11 sellers were issued notices, halting sales worth ₹1.24 cr due to detected irregularities.

The verification also included sampling seed cotton, with 36 samples taken. Seven samples were suspected of genetically modified cotton, while six were classified under government order (GO) standards.

Due to irregularities, the campaign suspended sales of 6,121 kg of seeds, 15 kg of fertiliser, and 30 kg of medicine, from 11 vendors.

On May 22, The special operations group (SOG) police seized 184 bags of fake cotton seeds valued at ₹1.28 lakh. The packets were titled ‘Sanket 5G’. Overall, there were five different brands of counterfeit seeds.

(This story was taken from a syndicated feed, and edited only for style by Gujarat Samachar Digital staff)

Gujarat