Chandigarh, March 13, 2025 – The Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department has seized 111 bags of expired fertilisers in Fazilka and filed a complaint against an unlicensed seed dealer in Malerkotla for violating seed regulations.
Punjab Agriculture Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian confirmed that a team led by the Chief Agriculture Officer, Fazilka, seized the expired fertilisers during a routine inspection at the Panjawa Model Cooperative Agriculture Service Society Limited. The team sealed:
25 bags of Hindustan Bec. Tech India Pvt. Ltd. (Potash Mobilising Bacteria)
45 bags of Malwa Industrial & Marketing Fertilisers & Chemicals Cooperative Society Ltd. (Potash 14.5)
31 bags of Hindustan Bec. Tech India Pvt. Ltd. (CorgoGypsum)
10 bags of Malwa Industrial & Marketing Fertilisers & Chemicals Cooperative Society Ltd. (Mycorrhiza)
The team also found gypsum fertiliser stored alongside urea in the society’s second godown. Stock registers were confiscated, and a urea sample was sent for testing. Based on the test report, action will be taken under the Fertiliser Control Order 1985. Fertiliser sales from the society have been suspended, and notices were issued to the society’s secretary and the involved companies.
Complaint Against Unlicensed Seed Dealer
A separate team, supervised by the Chief Agriculture Officer, Sangrur, raided M/s Sankalp Retail Store in Malerkotla’s grain market. Farmers complained that they bought 21 bags of maize seed (Pioneer 1899) at ₹3,300 per bag, but the dealer refused to provide a bill.
Investigations revealed that the firm’s seed license expired on April 22, 2024. The dealer was selling seeds without a valid license or proper documentation, violating the Seed (Control) Order 1983 and the Seed Rules 1968. A complaint has been registered against the dealer under the Essential Commodities Act 1955 at Police Station City-1, Malerkotla.
Broader Crackdown on Substandard Inputs
Khudian revealed that during 2024-25, the Punjab government:
Cancelled 87 fertiliser licenses and lodged 8 FIRs against fertiliser dealers.
Cancelled 116 pesticide licenses and filed 5 FIRs against pesticide dealers.
The minister stressed that the state remains committed to protecting farmers from poor-quality agricultural inputs.
