GHULAM ABBAS
ISLAMABAD: In a concerted effort to combat against manufacturing and sale of adulterated and fraudulent pesticides and to ensure provision of standard and registered pesticides to the farming community in Pakistan, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Department of Plant Protection (DPP) organized a raid on 27-03-2024 at a factory of M/s. Crop Life International’s situated at A-163, Site to Site Super Highway, Phase-I, Ahsanabad Industrial Area, Karachi where manufacturing of fake and adulterated pesticides and fertilizer were being made and seized huge quantity of deleterious pesticides and fertilizers of worth millions of rupees.
Ms. Zaeema Khan, Deputy Director Pesticides Registration (DDR) / Pesticides Inspector along with Mr. Muzammil Hussain, Entomologist and other two officials of the Department of Plant Protection took samples of pesticides namely Fipronil 0.4 % G, Phorate 5% G, Carbofuron 3%G, and Thiamethoxam TC and sent to laboratory for their analysis and verify deleterious substances used in their preparation and seized all the remaining pesticides lying in the factory by making seizure memo on Form-11 prescribed in Agricultural Pesticides Ordinance, 1971 for not providing their necessary permission, approvals and registration from Department of Plant Protection and Sindh Agriculture Department which are mandatory to obtain u/s 4 of Agriculture Pesticides Ordinance, 1971.
Deputy Director Pesticides Registration submitted a formal complaint u/s 26A of Agricultural Pesticides Ordinance, 1971 to FIA, Karachi, urging the registration of an FIR against Mr. Nusratullah, CEO, M/s. Crop Life International’s and his network for contravening various sections of the Agriculture Pesticides Ordinance 1971 and the Pakistan Penal Code. FIA Karachi apprehended Mr. Nusratullah Qadri, owner of the factory nominated in FIR and taken pesticides and fertilizers into custody as case property on the complaint of Deputy Director Pesticides Registration of Department of Plant Protection and sealed the factory.
Nusratullah, apprehended during the raid, also confessed to prepare, formulate, manufacture, refilling, labelling and sale of imitative and pernicious pesticides and fertilizer to farmers, dealers and other distribution companies of Sindh and Punjab.
Following the compelling evidence, FIA has extended its investigation to capture other accomplices of this network. More raids are expected to arrest persons, dealers and distributors involved in purchase and sale of these nocious and replica pesticides and fertilizers.
The analysis of samples carried out by Federal Pesticides Testing and Reference laboratory of Department of Plant Protection corroborated that the recovered and seized pesticides are fake and prepared from harmful substances which were both destructive to human health as well as environment and domestic agriculture of Pakistan.
Plant Protection Advised and Director General of Department of Plant Protection Karachi said that DPP has started special anti-Pesticides adulteration campaign in all the provinces with the assistance of FIA to unearth those formulation plants, refilling establishments, factories and premises involved in manufacturing, refilling, packing and labelling of fake and adulterated pesticides which are hidden from watchdogs of provinces agriculture department to augment and stop this menace as National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) of Pakistan and to hamper sale of such baneful and pseudo pesticides to farmers. Federal Government has actually delegated these powers to Agriculture Departments of Provinces after 18th Constitutional Amendment, DPP normally does not conduct such raids against pesticides adulterars considering that this is responsibility and mandate of provinces. This is first ever raid of this kind in Karachi.
In view of Prime Minister vision to provide standard pesticides to the farmers and to increase crop yield for self sufficiency and revival of economy and more export of agricultural goods and reduce reliance on import of agro products, DPP has instructed all its inspector to conduct intelligence based raids and seize fake pesticides and seal all those factories thar are found involved in formulation, packig, labelling and sale of adulterated and substandard pesticides with the assistance of FIA specially where the provinces agriculture deparments have not taking cognizance so far or such premises have not been radar and unearth such criminal people and companies before people and farmers to enable them not to buy pesticides and fertilizer of their companies. He said that DPP is committed to take to task all those such criminal elements involved in this illegal practice to ensure availability of standard pesticides to farmers
This operation underscores the government’s unwavering resolve to combat illegal activities in the agricultural sector and safeguard consumer welfare. The FIA reiterates its commitment to upholding the rule of law and protecting the public interest.
