KARACHI: The Sindh As­­sem­­bly’s Public Accounts Com­mittee (PAC) on Wednesday ordered a province-wide crackdown against dealers selling adulterated and substandard fertilisers and pesticides, and directed authorities to seal their shops.

Chairing a meeting, PAC Chairman Nisar Ahmed Khuhro also instructed the agriculture department to prepare a draft bill for legislation to establish testing laboratories in every district of the province for fertilisers and pesticides.

The PAC further directed the authorities to submit the names and details of 22 dealers facing FIRs across 23 districts for selling fake or substandard products. It also directed that the information be made public.

The meeting reviewed audit paras for the agriculture and supply & prices departments for 2024 and 2025. The audit raised objections over the agriculture directorate’s inadequate performance in preventing the sale of adulterated and substandard fertilisers and pesticides.

Khuhro directs preparing draft bill for legislation to establish testing laboratories

The agriculture department officials told the PAC that during inspections, 563 fertiliser samples and 581 pesticide samples were collected and laboratory tests found 252 samples to be adulterated or substandard. As a result, FIRs were registered against 22 dealers in 23 districts.

Mr Khuhro questioned why shops were not being sealed when the department could register FIRs and suspend licenses. “Fake fertiliser is harmful to agriculture,” he said.

The agriculture secretary said that the department did not have the authority to seal shops.

When asked by PAC member Qasim Soomro as to how many quality control laboratories the agriculture department operated, the officials said four testing labs exist in Larkana, Rohri, Hyderabad, and one in another district.

Mr Khuhro urged that every district should have a testing lab to curb the sale of substandard and adulterated products.

The PAC directed the department to draft legislation for labs in all districts and to make public the names of dealers involved in substandard selling.

The PAC also noted that the supply and prices department did not have the authority to control commodity prices.

The audit pointed out that during the Rabi season of 2022 and 2023 in Dadu district, there was a shortage of urea, DAP, and other fertilisers, and no action was taken against dealers selling them on the black market. The meeting was infor­med that price control and checking of fertilisers, pesticides, and food items fell under the revenue department.

It was also told that Dadu assistant commissioner had raided shops and fined five dealers Rs16,000 for black marketing fertiliser.

When asked by Mr Khu­hro, the officials said that magisterial powers for price control have been delegated to assistant commissioners.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2026