The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Government plans to register suppliers of agro inputs in order to address counterfeit products.
Addressing journalists on Thursday at the Uganda Media Centre, the Minister for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja, Uganda will work with foreign governments where the companies are based to register their details.
He says that they will be required to name their local dealers in Uganda such that the supplier is also held accountable for the products that end up in Uganda under their name.
Ssempijja, says that they have registered instances were dealers connive with suppliers to produce and sell counterfeits products.
He adds that the local dealers will be certified and the lists published every season to enable farmers know the right places to purchase inputs from.
The challenge of counterfeit agro-inputs has lasted for years despite efforts to cut it down. In 2012, the Ministry indicated that Uganda was losing billions of shillings due to counterfeit products.
Ssempijja says that despite the existence of laws against producing, trading in and using counterfeit products, there is still an influx of such due to the inefficiency of the inspectorate department which lacks adequate manpower.
Government certifies agricultural inputs that should be used by farmers. It also banned products like, Endor sulphur (found to be an organic pollutant), Nitrofurans (which is attributed to cancer) and tylosin (found to compound rather than cure pneumonia in animals) among others.
Fred Muzira an Agriculture inspector at the Ministry of Agriculture says that farmers should be aware of counterfeit products, avoid them and report to relevant authorities.
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