Crackdown ordered on adulterated fertilisers, pesticides

PAC directs authorities to seal shops, initiate legal action

KARACHI:

The Sindh Assembly's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has ordered a province-wide crackdown against dealers involved in the sale of adulterated and substandard fertilisers and pesticides, directing authorities to seal their shops and take strict legal action.

The directive was issued during a PAC meeting chaired by Nisar Khuhro, where audit paras related to the Agriculture Department and Supply & Prices Department for the years 2024 and 2025 were reviewed.

The committee expressed serious concern over the performance of the Agriculture Department's quality control system. Officials informed the committee that during inspections, 563 samples of fertilisers and 581 samples of pesticides were collected. Laboratory testing revealed that 252 samples were substandard or adulterated. Following these findings, cases were registered against 22 dealers operating across 23 districts of Sindh.

However, the PAC sought complete details of these dealers and directed the department to publicly disclose their names. The committee also questioned why their shops had not been sealed despite legal action being initiated.

During the briefing, the Agriculture Department informed the committee that it lacked legal authority to seal shops. The explanation was met with dissatisfaction from the chair, who questioned why strict action such as sealing premises was not being taken when the department had the authority to register FIRs and suspend licences.

The committee further directed the Agriculture Department to prepare a draft bill for establishing fertiliser and pesticide testing laboratories in every district of Sindh. The chairperson emphasised that district-level laboratories were necessary to ensure timely testing and to prevent the circulation of substandard agricultural inputs.