Rural India Faces Crisis as Fake Agri-Inputs Threaten National Security and Livelihoods: RKPA Calls for Immediate Action and Reform
New Delhi, July 24, 2025: The Rashtriya Kisan Progressive Association (RKPA) has raised the alarm over a dramatic surge in the distribution of counterfeit agricultural inputs across India, threatening food security, farmer livelihoods, and national integrity. Describing the crisis as “unprecedented in scale and dangerously systemic,” RKPA warned that if left unaddressed, the unchecked spread of fake fertilisers, pesticides, seeds, and farming equipment could severely impact not only individual farmers but also soil health, rural economies, and the nation’s internal security. The conference is being led by Shri Dharmendra Malik, Rashtriya Pravakta, BKU (Non-Political), and Shri Binod Anand, President, RKPA, who are driving urgent policy and awareness efforts.
India is grappling with a growing, well-organised network of counterfeiters who are systematically exploiting regulatory gaps, weak enforcement, and seasonal input shortages. These syndicates mass-produce fake packaging and flood rural markets with spurious agri-inputs just ahead of the Kharif and Rabi seasons. In a recent case reported by the media on June 25, 2025, over one lakh fake fertiliser bags were seized in Hapur, allegedly being routed to 22 districts across western Uttar Pradesh, including Meerut, Ghaziabad, Agra, and Muzaffarnagar.
The Rashtriya Kisan Progressive Association (RKPA), backed by grassroots farmer movements, has issued a detailed charter of demands aimed at tackling this national crisis. These include:
Policy Actions Requested
● Urgent National Security Audit of All CIBRC Approvals (2015–2025)
○ Cross-check beneficiaries, exports, shelf company links, and dual-use risks.
● Freeze on High-Risk Exports Until End-Use Validation Mechanism Is Created
○ For all shipments to West Asia, Central Africa, and sanctioned zones.
● Immediate Reform of CIBRC’s Governance Structure
○ Inclusion of MHA, MoD, and MEA in registration, audit, and compliance.
○ Security clearance must become mandatory for all export-oriented registrations.
● Launch a National Commission on Chemical Trade and Sovereignty
○ With members from NIA, RAW, DRDO, NCB, FSSAI, and DEA, to redesign India’s chemical control regime across agriculture, pharma, and industrial applications.
● Deploying QR code-based authentication for all regulated seeds, fertilisers, and pesticides with real-time scan-verification support for farmers via mobile devices.
● Strict inspections of agro-retailers, distributors, and unlicensed players with night raids and surprise checks at the pre-season level.
● Legal action and blacklisting of any distributor or official found complicit in the distribution and welfare negligence.
RKPA also raised concerns over casual amendments to licensing procedures and monitoring failures. A culture of laxity is emboldening criminals, and the rural poor are paying the price. Farmers are not seeking someone to blame; they are demanding protection, justice, and an end to unchecked exploitation.
Farmers at the press conference shared stories of crop failures due to fake seeds and mislabeled pesticides, often purchased with borrowed money. The losses are not just financial but also psychological and ecological, harming soil health and rural stability. Even tech-savvy farmers are losing confidence, threatening India’s agricultural progress. Farmer groups have urged Hon’ble Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan to lead a coordinated, multi-ministerial effort and implement a strong, farmer-centric action plan.
Binod Anand, National President of the Rural Kisan Protection Association (RKPA), said, “If fake inputs continue to find a place in our fields, India’s future will be cursed not by drought or flood, but by deliberate deceit, one that also fuels terror networks.. We need a war-footing response, not symbolic action. Farmers deserve no less than full justice.”
The spread of fake agricultural inputs is not just an economic fraud—it’s a direct attack on our farmers’ trust and survival,” said Shri Dharmendra Malik, Rashtriya Pravakta, BKU (Non-Political). “Unless the government implements strict ground-level enforcement and brings the perpetrators to justice, rural India will continue to suffer irreparable damage.
In closing, RKPA reiterated that this fight is not about one raid, one state, or one crop. Let this not be another file that gathers dust while the nation bleeds in silence.. This is our moment to rise- not just as custodians of Indian agriculture but as defenders of national pride and global peace. RKPA stands ready to contribute research, civil society inputs, and farmer perspectives on this matter of urgent and profound national interest.