The Gujarat government has taken action against four individuals accused of selling counterfeit and substandard fertilisers by invoking the Prevention of Black Marketing and Maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities (PBM) Act, 1980. Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani stated that repeat offenders in the sale of fake fertilisers and seeds will now face imprisonment along with the cancellation of their licenses.
Vaghani announced that the four accused have been detained and sent to jail after an investigation into the sale of duplicate fertiliser in Amreli district. He emphasized that stringent provisions of the PBM Act would be enforced for cases involving repeat offenders engaged in selling counterfeit fertilisers and seeds. The government’s stance is clear that cheating farmers will not be tolerated.
The investigation focused on alleged fertiliser fraud at Shree Fertiliser in Khambhala village, Babra taluka, Amreli district. Officials discovered 299 bags of low-quality DAP fertiliser in counterfeit IFFCO-branded bags during the inspection. Samples sent for testing failed quality standards, with no proper documentation found for the fertiliser. Accused individuals linked to the recovered stock are facing legal consequences.
