Sindh PAC calls for starting a crackdown to curb sale of substandard fertilizers, pesticides

The Public Accounts Committee of Sindh Assembly, Wednesday directed a province-wide crackdown against substandard fertilizers and pesticides to curb the sale of adulterated low-quality agricultural inputs for preventing farmers, growers and the entire sector from losses

KARACHI, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th May, 2026) The Public Accounts Committee of Sindh Assembly, Wednesday directed a province-wide crackdown against substandard fertilizers and pesticides to curb the sale of adulterated low-quality agricultural inputs for preventing farmers, growers and the entire sector from losses.

The Chairman PAC Sindh, Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, while presiding over the committee meeting, instructed the agriculture department to initiate drafting legislation to establish Fertilizer and Pesticide Testing Laboratories at district level to ensure quality control and stringent vigilance, said a statement issued here.

The Committee reviewed the audit reports of the Department of Agriculture and Supply and prices for the years 2024 and 2025, while the committee members Sadia Javed, Qasim Soomro, Taha Ahmed, Secretary PAC Muhammad Hassan Shah, Secretary Agriculture Muhammad Zaman Narejo and other concerned officers attended the meeting.

The PAC was informed that the Agriculture department has collected 563 samples of fertilizer and 581 samples of pesticides during the inspection in 23 districts of Sindh.

After laboratory testing, 252 samples were found adulterated and substandard, and cases have been registered against 22 dealers selling them.

PAC directed a crackdown on dealers selling adulterated, substandard fertilizers and pesticides across Sindh and sealing of their shops as forfeited fertilizers and pesticides are harmful to agriculture.

Chairman PAC sought the Names and details of the 22 dealers against whom cases have been registered; saying the same should be made public.

On a query about quality control laboratories, the committee was informed that the Agriculture Department has 4 testing laboratories in 4 districts including Larkana, Rohri and Hyderabad. Nisar Khuhro stressed on setting up testing laboratories

in every district of Sindh to support the quality control measures.

The committee instructed the concerned department to prepare a draft bill to initiate legislation in the Sindh Assembly for establishing laboratories in every district of Sindh for testing fertilizers and pesticides.