Agriculture sector representatives, government officials, law enforcement personnel and journalists have called for a central taskforce, stronger field-level monitoring and strict legal action to curb the spread of counterfeit, adulterated, illegal and unauthorised agricultural inputs in Bangladesh.

They said the trade in fake agricultural inputs not only causes financial losses to farmers but also threatens sustainable agricultural development, national food security, the environment and the economy.

The call came at a discussion meeting at the Department of Agricultural Extension in Rajshahi on Sunday. Bangladesh Agricultural Journalists Forum (BAJF) and Syngenta Bangladesh Limited jointly organised the programme in Rajshahi.

Prof Gopal Das of the Department of Entomology at Bangladesh Agricultural University presented the keynote paper, outlining the national and international market situation concerning counterfeit, adulterated, illegal and unauthorised agricultural inputs.

Drawing on information from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Bangladesh Crop Protection Association (BCPA) and CropLife Asia, he explained the risks these products pose to farmers' livelihoods, government revenue, food security, environmental protection and sustainable agriculture.

He said isolated initiatives would not be sufficient to tackle the networks involved in the trade. Instead, an effective central taskforce, strict enforcement of existing laws and greater awareness and capacity-building at the grassroots level were needed.

Mohammad Shahidul Islam, director of corporate affairs and sustainability at Syngenta Bangladesh Limited, said Bangladesh needed to address the challenges facing its agricultural sector to achieve its ambition of increasing agricultural exports from around USD$1 billion to $5 billion in the coming years.

The trade in counterfeit, adulterated and illegal agricultural inputs poses a major challenge to productivity, food security and the acceptance of Bangladeshi agricultural products in international markets, he said.

“Ensuring that farmers have access to reliable and quality agricultural inputs is essential for sustainable agricultural development and achieving the country's export growth targets,” he said.

Attending the event as chief guest, Rajshahi District Council Administrator Md Ershad Ali Isha said farmers were a key pillar of the country's economy and food security.

“Deceiving farmers with counterfeit and adulterated agricultural inputs means undermining the national interest,” he said.

ANM Mohibub Uz Zaman, vice president of the Bangladesh Agricultural Journalists Forum, said the government, public institutions, the private sector and the media needed to work together to prevent the spread of fake and adulterated agricultural inputs.

Rajshahi District Police spokesperson and Additional Superintendent of Police Sabina Yasmin, Rajshahi Chamber of Commerce and Industry Senior Vice-President Shamsur Rahman Shantan, and Additional Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension's Rajshahi regional office Papia Rahman Mouri attended the event as special guests.