Acting on a tip-off from a federal intelligence agency, the District Keamari administration in a joint operation with police unearthed a large-scale fake fertiliser manufacturing unit operating in Ittehad Town on Thursday.
Keamari Deputy Commissioner Raja Tariq Chandio told The News that the raid was carried out under the supervision of Assistant Commissioner Marik Gul with police contingents and the agriculture additional director also participating in it.
During the action, officials seized a huge quantity of fake fertiliser, machinery and packing material from the building. The recovered items included eight drum machines used for fertiliser production and two receipt books.
The authorities confiscated around 4,000 fake DAP/NPK bags, 20 bags of sulphur, 25 bags of chemical FeSO4, and 1,500 10-kilogramme bags of fast agro granular fertiliser from the building. Additionally, 5,000 empty crop booster bags and several red-labelled fertiliser sacks were also found.
The raid further led to the recovery of counterfeit and empty bags of different companies. Officials said the suspects were engaged in producing fake fertiliser and selling it in the market, causing heavy losses to farmers. “This crackdown has prevented major damage to the agricultural sector,” Chandio noted. Further investigations are under way.
