How farmers can guard against counterfeit inputs

Many farmers have had bad experiences with fertiliser, herbicides and seeds. According to the International Growth Centre (IGC), an organisation that aims to promote sustainable growth in developing countries, the prevalence of counterfeiting is highest within herbicides. 

Counterfeiting in maize seeds , especially among hybrid varieties, is also prevalent, but less so than in herbicides. Smallholder farmers rarely use fertiliser and therefore counterfeiting is not as prevalent as in commercial farming.

According to Nimmy Mugabi, the Bugiri District agricultural officer Bugiri District, retail-level inputs tend to be fake or of poor quality which leads to low returns on investment.

Mugabi says there are a number of adulterated products which may include an authentic product that has been diluted or entirely fake. 

These products may be packaged in reused branded bottles, imitation of brand names, bottles or labels. 
Other products are expired or with sub-standard concentrations. “Counterfeits remain a big problem among the famers,” Mugabi says.

Efforts
The focus is on rooting out fake agricultural inputs by enforcing standards but the regulatory environment in the country is evolving although implementation and enforcement is relatively poor.

The key players include the Crop Inspection and Registration Department (CIRD) which was mandated in 2031 to licence agro dealers and importers as well as assess and certify the quality of agro-chemicals while monitoring compliance.

In coordination with the CIRD, the Crop Protection Board (CPB), approves registration of crop protection products and agro-dealers.

Under the Ministry of Trade, the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) enforces the use of standards across industries primarily at points of entry.

The agro-dealers are also bound by the Uganda National Agro Dealer Association (UNADA) to enforce good business practices among members and offer professional support while lobbying for stricter counterfeit regulation.

Current efforts include companies trying to innovate their packaging to combat counterfeiting. East African Seed Company has introduced a paper bag with a seal, whereas Nalweyo Seed Company (Naseco) packages in special plastic bags. All these companies control quality and brand through their own production plots and packaging of their seeds.

End-user verification including e-testing and coin scratch technologies conducted among farmers and retailers have also been used to authenticate products. Smallholder farmers and extension workers have been educated through videos on counterfeit inputs.

However, counterfeiters are getting more and more sophisticated so that even with training it is difficult to discern between genuine and fake products.

Vigilance
Mugabi says that, “all of the solutions would need to be complemented with a degree of agro-dealer and smallholder training.”
He says that by-laws to handle counterfeits have always been failed by political interference while regular inspections fall flat when fake dealers are tipped off.

He explains that this therefore calls for vigilance from farmers by insisting on obtaining a receipt when one buys chemicals or seeds from the agro-input dealers.
He also explains that farmers must insist on sealed chemicals to avoid adulteration. “Farmers who insist on buying small quantities aid the sale of fake products,” he says.

But Silive Oboth, a spray service provider in Bugiri explains that poor use of the chemicals will affect the quality of the products. Oboth says that some farmers, for instance, wait for weeds to overgrow and then apply herbicides such as 2-4D and Butanil-70.

“Most weeds need to be worked on before they exceed four leaves otherwise to avoid disorganisation of plant growth, proper timing is crucial,” he says.

Tips
How to register a crop protection product
Step 1: Register product and company with CIRD
Step 2: CIRD commissions lab analysis to verify active ingredients
Step 3: CIRD conducts field trial to prove product effectiveness
Step 4: Agricultural chemicals control technical committee reviews reports
Step 5: Crop protection board makes decision on registration.