Lately, there has been an increase in raids on counterfeit fertilizers across India. Counterfeit and adulterated fertilizers have been detected at different stages of the supply chain. International reports suggest that counterfeit fertilizers are not just a problem limited to India but are prevalent in Indonesia, Vietnam, Turkey and many countries in Africa.
Fertilizers are often adulterated with fillers which contain harmful chemicals. It has been usually seen that expensive fertilizers are mixed with cheap grade ingredients.
The boom of the green revolution in our country and the resulting increase in demand for fertilizers created a lucrative opportunity for counterfeiters to sell adulterated fertilizers on a large scale.
However, counterfeit fertilizers have led to a lot of negative outcomes. Counterfeit fertilizers damage the crops, makes the fertile land barren and most importantly weakens the country’s economy.
Due to low yields, farmers are not able to repay their debts to the bank which causes an unnecessary financial burden. This forces the banking institutions to further increase the interest on the loans which demotivates the farmers to borrow them. It’s like a vicious cycle which never ends and leads to massive financial losses.
Continuous deterioration of farming output creates a cause of concern for commodity traders and investors. Moreover, legitimate fertilizer manufacturing companies face a massive financial setback due to the sale of counterfeits and suffer from a poor brand image among consumers which takes years to heal.
Anti-counterfeiting solutions can play an important role in curbing counterfeiting in the fertilizer manufacturing industry. Holostik is a name to reckon with the best anti-counterfeiting solutions provider. The company provides customized solutions to deal with the duplication and adulteration of fertilizers. The company’s unique packaging solutions encompass high-end anti-duplication solutions which make it impossible for the forgers to adulterate or copy the product.
An IBEF report states, “Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for about 58 per cent of India’s population. Gross Value Added by agriculture, forestry and fishing is estimated at Rs 17.67 trillion (US$ 274.23 billion) in FY18.” With such a massive contribution to the economy, it is high time that the Indian agro-industry players, authorities and the Government take necessary measures to tackle the menace of duplication.
