Minister for Agriculture Production Ghulam Hassan Mir today impressed upon all the companies of pesticides and insecticides to go for bio-efficacy tests of their brands and molecules at Sheri Kashmir University of Agriculture and Technology, (SKUAST- K and J) forthwith otherwise their brand products would not be allowed in Jammu and Kashmir. The decision to this effect was taken at a high level meeting convened to take measures to prevent distribution of spurious pesticides and insecticides in the State.The meeting was attended by Commissioner/Secretary Agriculture Dr. Asgar Hussain Samoon, Vice Chancellor, SKUAST (K) Dr. Tej Partap, Director Agriculture, Kashmir Peerzada Mushtaq Ahmad, Director Agrucilture Jammu, Mr. Ajay Kumar Khajuria, Director Horticulture Jammu, Mr. Anil Sharma,Director Horticulture Kashmir Mr. Sonam Narboo, Director Research SKUAST Kashmir Mr. Shafeeq Wani, Director Research SKUAST Jammu, Dr. Ajay Koul and Manufacturer Unit Holders of different pesticides and insecticides companies of different parts of the country.The Minister categorily asked the companies that the brands failing bio-efficacy test shall be banned in the Jammu and Kashmir as the government could not bear the loss of our growers. He directed them that only those pesticides would be included in next year’s spray schedules which clear the bio-efficacy tests in advance. He asked them to provide list of their godowns to the Directorate of Law Enforcement of Agriculture Department by end of December, 2013 positively so that the concerned agency could take the samples of various products of pesticides and insecticides for necessary testing before its sale in the market.
The Minister further directed the companies to not to distribute the consignment to the distributors and dealers till the concerned brand of pesticide and insecticides are cleared in the quality control test. He asked the Law Enforcement Wing of the Department that the quality control test be conducted within 7 days otherwise the concerned Inspector be held responsible.Stressing the need of awareness of branded pesticide products among the growers, the Minister asked them to introduce their product in different demonstration plots in the State so that growers put together their confidence about the efficacy of the product for a particular crop.Taking a note of exorbitant rates of various brands of pesticides and insecticides in the State, the Minister asked the companies representatives to provide a special discount for their products in J&K. In this direction the representatives of various companies have assured to provide 10% discount on MRP on the respective product.Speaking on the occasion Commissioner/Secretary Agriculture Production Dr. Asgar Samoon said that there are various centrally and state sponsored schemed under implementation in the State for the benefits of farmers. He said the aims and objectives of these schemes are the farmers may avail optimum benefits to ensure that a good quality crops in bulk quantity are produced from the State. He advocated for stoppage of the menace of supply, stocking and distribution of spurious pesticides and insecticides so that the growers are not cheated on this account.