CHANDIGARH: Intensifying its crackdown against unauthorised and illegal agricultural inputs, the Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare department's flying squad has sealed a godown in Village Sahoke of Moga district.
Disclosing this here today, Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian stated that the godown, operated by Piyush Goyal of Kotkapura, was found storing fertilisers and pesticides illegally. Among the seized items were packets of Zinc Sulphate lacking manufacturing dates and batch numbers, raising suspicions of fake products.
"The flying squad, led by Joint Director Dr. Narinder Singh Benipal and Chief Agriculture Officer Moga Dr Gurpreet Singh, has also collected three samples of fertiliser and two samples of pesticides, and an FIR has been lodged at Police Station Smalsar in Moga under the Fertiliser (Control) Order, 1985, the Insecticides Act, 1968, Insecticide Rule 1971, Essential Commodities Act, 1955 and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, " said S. Khudian.
He emphasised the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led state government’s zero-tolerance policy towards those exploiting farmers and assured strict action against the accused.
The Agriculture Minister urged farmers to purchase agricultural inputs from authorised dealers to avoid substandard or illegal products. Additionally, he emphasised the importance of obtaining a bill for all agri-input purchases to ensure accountability and quality.