Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has enforced an immediate ban on the sale of substandard seeds and fertilizers. This stringent measure follows intensified scrutiny by the Agriculture Department to ensure the quality of agricultural inputs across the state, aiming to protect farmers and boost productivity.

In line with the Chief Minister’s directives, district-level officials from the Agriculture Department have been conducting regular inspections and collecting samples of seeds, fertilizers, and plant protection chemicals. These samples are then tested in quality control laboratories. During the inspection, 71 seed samples, 18 chemical fertilizer samples, and 19 plant protection chemical samples were found substandard. The sale of these batches has been immediately banned, and notices have been issued to the firms concerned by the Agriculture Department.

According to the Additional Director of Agriculture, the department aims to collect 5,000 seed samples, 3,700 fertilizer samples, and 777 plant protection chemical samples for the 2024 Kharif season. So far, 4,631 seed samples have been collected and tested, with 4,119 meeting the standards and 71 failing to do so. The testing process for 441 samples is ongoing.

Similarly, to check the quality of chemical fertilizers, the department’s inspectors have collected 2,638 samples from various institutions and sent them to laboratories. Of the samples tested, 896 met the required standards, while 18 did not. The testing process for 1,664 samples is ongoing, and 60 samples have been discarded for various reasons. The sale of non-standard seeds and fertilizers has been banned, and show-cause notices have been issued to the firms concerned.

The quality of pesticides is also being continuously monitored. The inspection team has collected 286 samples from different firms, of which 167 met the standards and 3 did not. The testing process for 86 samples is ongoing, while 14 samples have been discarded.

For the current Kharif season, the state government has set a target to distribute 1.368 million metric tonnes of fertilizers through cooperatives and the private sector. So far, 1.279 million metric tonnes have been stored. Additionally, 418,308 metric tonnes of chemical fertilizers are currently available to farmers through cooperatives and the private sector.