South Kashmir Apple Growers Worried by Misbranded Pesticides, Demand Action

Sameer Ahmad

Anantnag: Several apple growers in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district are expressing concerns over the influx of misbranded pesticides and insecticides in the South Kashmir markets.

Sources told Arising State that markets in South Kashmir, including Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian, and Bijbehara, are witnessing the sale of misbranded pesticides from some pesticide brands to apple growers.

Talking to Arising State, Abdul Rasheed, an orchardist, said that just as giving the wrong medicine to a human can lead to complications, using ineffective pesticides can cause irreparable damage to plants. Diseases such as scab and Alternaria cannot be cured if ineffective pesticides are applied. He said that “misbranded” refers to pesticides that contain a lower quantity of active ingredients, making them ineffective for controlling diseases.

He said, “I bought the pesticide in the Anantnag market, and when I started to use it in my orchard, my son scraped the cover of the pesticide, and we found that the pesticide was misbranded. The government must take this matter seriously. Farmers rely on these pesticides to protect their crops, and using ineffective products jeopardizes their livelihoods.”

Meanwhile, farmers and orchardists are urging the administration to look into the matter and take action against the persons who are selling misbranded pesticides in the markets.