SRINAGAR: Minister for Agriculture Production, Javed Ahmad Dar, on Wednesday said that a batch-wise sampling system is implemented for fertilisers at Udhampur Rack, where samples undergo testing at the Quality Control Lab in Jammu. Only consignments that meet the required standards are permitted to proceed to the Valley. Additionally, a checkpoint at Lower Munda verifies the consignment documents and sources, ensuring that sales are allowed only after the samples pass standard testing.
He question from Hilal Akbar Lone in the Legislative Assembly.
The Minister added that random samples are also collected from stocks held by wholesalers and retailers. If any sample fails to meet the standards, prosecution is initiated against the wholesalers, dealers, or retailers involved.
A similar process is followed for pesticides to ensure proper testing before sale to farmers. The Agriculture Production Department has an Enforcement Directorate at the UT level and law enforcement agencies at the district level to monitor and address complaints regarding substandard pesticides and fertilisers.
Providing further details, the Minister stated that 3,010 pesticide samples and 1,065 fertiliser samples have been collected for testing during 2024-25.
Bashir Ahmad Veeri raised a supplementary question on the matter.
