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KOHAT, March 16: Four huge illegal factories manufacturing counterfeit fertilizer in Karak and Lakki Marwat districts operated by convicts from Faisalabad, has rendered thousands of acres of fertile land in Sindh and Punjab ineffective, Dawn investigations into the complaints of provincial agriculture department in this regard revealed.
Three factories are operating at secret locations in New Karapa, Old Karapa, and Jatta Ismail Khel in the Karak district and, one in Chowki Jand in Lakki district.
The item being manufactured at these notorious units is called diammonium phosphate (DAP) which is imported from United States and Turkey. The fake DAP which costs Rs40 per bag of 40 kilograms is being sold at Rs220. The price of imported DAP is Rs780 per bag.
The modus operandi is that gypsum granules are dyed with black colour and packed in bags weighing 50 kilograms and then delivered in Punjab and Sindh.
The investigations revealed that 90,000 bags of DAP were produced annually in these three factories. The police did raid the sites once and recovered hundreds of fake DAP bags; no arrests were made. Business has continued as usual for the last two years.
The matter was discussed between the administration and the agriculture department vide letter numbers 15/EDO/Agril: dated Karak 10-01-2002, 282 dated 03-12-2001, 314/EDO dated 12-12-2001, 365/EDO/Agril dated 01-01-2002 and 367/EDO/Agril dated 01-01- 2002.
A source in the agriculture department in Peshawar told Dawn that this is a crime and it was in the notice of the local police, but no action has been taken so far.
As a result the SHO Banda Daud Shah, as directed by the SP Karak, called the accused Rana Ghaffar, Mohammad Abbas and Waheed Ullah Khan to the police station after raiding the sites, but no action was taken.
The accused Rana Ghaffar was convicted in a similar case four years back in Faisalabad, an inquiry report said, after which he shifted his illegal business and machinery to the NWFP.
This was revealed by a representative of FFC, Faisalabad, Malik Nasir, in a letter to the Karak administration few months back.
Under the Punjab Fertilizer Control Order 1973 amendment 1999 section 18 (3) gypsum chemical amendments or such other material is not standard fertilizer, and shall not be manufactured, stored or offered for sale in granular form.
Three factories are operating at secret locations in New Karapa, Old Karapa, and Jatta Ismail Khel in the Karak district and, one in Chowki Jand in Lakki district.
The item being manufactured at these notorious units is called diammonium phosphate (DAP) which is imported from United States and Turkey. The fake DAP which costs Rs40 per bag of 40 kilograms is being sold at Rs220. The price of imported DAP is Rs780 per bag.
The modus operandi is that gypsum granules are dyed with black colour and packed in bags weighing 50 kilograms and then delivered in Punjab and Sindh.
The investigations revealed that 90,000 bags of DAP were produced annually in these three factories. The police did raid the sites once and recovered hundreds of fake DAP bags; no arrests were made. Business has continued as usual for the last two years.
The matter was discussed between the administration and the agriculture department vide letter numbers 15/EDO/Agril: dated Karak 10-01-2002, 282 dated 03-12-2001, 314/EDO dated 12-12-2001, 365/EDO/Agril dated 01-01-2002 and 367/EDO/Agril dated 01-01- 2002.
A source in the agriculture department in Peshawar told Dawn that this is a crime and it was in the notice of the local police, but no action has been taken so far.
As a result the SHO Banda Daud Shah, as directed by the SP Karak, called the accused Rana Ghaffar, Mohammad Abbas and Waheed Ullah Khan to the police station after raiding the sites, but no action was taken.
The accused Rana Ghaffar was convicted in a similar case four years back in Faisalabad, an inquiry report said, after which he shifted his illegal business and machinery to the NWFP.
This was revealed by a representative of FFC, Faisalabad, Malik Nasir, in a letter to the Karak administration few months back.
Under the Punjab Fertilizer Control Order 1973 amendment 1999 section 18 (3) gypsum chemical amendments or such other material is not standard fertilizer, and shall not be manufactured, stored or offered for sale in granular form.
