Vadodara, May 27 (IANS): Gujarat Agriculture Department on Monday launched a special intensive verification campaign to guarantee farmers access to high-quality fertilisers, seeds, and medicines.

The campaign mobilised 39 teams from field-level operations across the state. To intensify the efforts, 19 state-level squads conducted thorough verifications in various districts.

In Vadodara, the Agriculture Department conducted spot checks on 81 vendors across Dabhoi, Padra, Savli, Vadodara, and Karajan talukas, focusing on selling seeds, fertilisers, and medicines.

Officials shared that 52 samples, including seeds, fertilisers, and medicines, were collected and sent to state-approved laboratories for analysis during these checks. Of these, 36 fertiliser samples and one drug sample were explicitly highlighted.

Deputy Director of Agriculture Chirag Patel stated that 11 sellers were issued notices, halting sales worth Rs 1.24 crore due to detected irregularities.

The verification also included sampling seed cotton, with 36 samples taken. Seven samples were suspected of genetically modified cotton, while six were classified under Government Order (GO) standards.

Due to irregularities, the campaign suspended sales amounting to Rs 1.24 crore, including 6121 kg of seeds, 15 kg of fertiliser, and 30 kg of medicine, from 11 vendors.

On May 22, The Special Operations Group (SOG) police seized 184 bags of fake cotton seeds valued at Rs 1.28 lakh. The packets were titled ‘Sanket 5G. ' Overall, there were five different brands of counterfeit seeds.