The Rashtriya Kisan Progressive Association (RKPA) has issued a stark warning about the dramatic rise in counterfeit agricultural inputs across India, calling it a national crisis that threatens not only farmer livelihoods and food security but also the integrity of the nation itself. Describing the spread of fake fertilisers, pesticides, seeds, and farm equipment as “unprecedented in scale and dangerously systemic,” RKPA urged immediate structural reforms and cross-ministerial action to curb the menace before it spirals beyond control.

The conference, led by Dharmendra Malik, Rashtriya Pravakta of BKU (Non-Political), and Binod Anand, President of RKPA, brought together farmer leaders, legal experts, and civil society voices in a united call for urgent intervention. Their message was clear: India’s agricultural foundation is under attack—from within.

Behind the scenes, a well-organised network of counterfeiters is exploiting regulatory loopholes, seasonal shortages, and enforcement apathy to mass-produce and distribute fake agri-inputs. These criminal syndicates operate with alarming precision, flooding rural markets ahead of the Kharif and Rabi seasons. One such case surfaced in June 2025, when authorities seized over one lakh fake fertiliser bags in Hapur, allegedly destined for distribution across 22 districts in western Uttar Pradesh, including Meerut, Ghaziabad, Agra, and Muzaffarnagar.

At the heart of the crisis lies systemic regulatory failure. The RKPA, backed by grassroots farmer movements and rural monitoring networks, has proposed a comprehensive charter of reforms. These include a national security audit of all Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee (CIBRC) approvals issued between 2015 and 2025, to examine beneficiary profiles, export trails, shell company links, and dual-use risks. The association also called for a temporary freeze on high-risk agri-chemical exports to countries in West Asia, Central Africa, and other sanctioned regions until an end-use validation mechanism is created.

RKPA demanded an immediate restructuring of the CIBRC’s governance framework, advocating for the inclusion of key national security stakeholders such as the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Defence, and Ministry of External Affairs in the registration, audit, and compliance processes. Security clearance, the association stressed, must be a mandatory condition for any export-oriented registration of agri-inputs.

To safeguard long-term national interests, the RKPA has proposed the formation of a National Commission on Chemical Trade and Sovereignty, comprising representatives from the NIA, RAW, DRDO, NCB, FSSAI, and the Department of Economic Affairs. The body would be tasked with redesigning India’s chemical trade regulation across agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and industrial domains to plug security and supply chain vulnerabilities.

At the ground level, the RKPA urged the deployment of QR code-based authentication for all regulated agri-inputs, enabling farmers to scan and verify product legitimacy in real-time through mobile phones. It further called for pre-season night inspections, surprise checks of agro-retailers and distributors, and criminal action against any official or entity found complicit in fraud, negligence, or collusion.

Farmers present at the press conference recounted harrowing stories of failed harvests caused by counterfeit seeds and mislabelled pesticides—often purchased on credit. These failures have not only triggered financial despair but also led to soil degradation and widespread disillusionment among rural youth. Several farmers warned that even the most tech-savvy cultivators were losing trust in the agri-input ecosystem—posing a long-term risk to India’s agricultural resilience and food sovereignty.

RKPA expressed deep concern over the dilution of licensing protocols and the casual, unmonitored entry of unknown brands into the rural supply chain. “The culture of regulatory laxity is not only emboldening criminals but leaving the rural poor to absorb the costs of an institutional breakdown,” said RKPA’s Binod Anand. “This is not just corruption—it’s a breach of trust, and our farmers are the ones bleeding.”

Speaking to the larger geopolitical implications, Anand warned that fake agricultural inputs could be funding broader illicit networks, including terror operations. “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.”

Echoing this urgency, Dharmendra Malik of BKU (Non-Political) added, “The spread of fake agricultural inputs is not just an economic fraud—it’s a direct attack on our farmers’ trust and survival. Unless the government implements strict ground-level enforcement and brings the perpetrators to justice, rural India will continue to suffer irreparable damage.”

RKPA has formally appealed to the Hon’ble Union Agriculture Minister, Shivraj Singh Chauhan, to lead a coordinated, multi-ministerial task force that can deliver swift justice and restore credibility to India’s agri-input regime.

In conclusion, RKPA emphasized that this crisis cannot be treated as a one-off incident or a state-level issue. It is a national emergency requiring national resolve. “This fight is not about one raid, one state, or one crop,” the statement concluded. “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 reaffirmed its commitment to offering technical research, policy inputs, and on-the-ground data to support the government in building a transparent, secure, and farmer-first agricultural input ecosystem.