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Bongayi Gokoma
As agricultural production increases, more farmers have adopted the use of agrochemicals in their production so as to boost their yields through improved management systems that have been imparted to farmers by Agritex extension officers.

However, some criminal elements in our society have seen it as an opportunity to con farmers of their hard earned cash.

These criminal elements have gone on a massive production of counterfeit agrochemicals that range from doses, insecticides, dips and herbicides where they photocopy labels of well established companies and sell such counterfeit products to unsuspecting farmers.

Counterfeit pesticides are produced and packaged to look like legal products, but their contents may not match their labels. Counterfeit products may have less active ingredients than the legal version or they may contain cheaper, possibly more toxic, active ingredients.

Because of this, counterfeit pesticides can be ineffective and dangerous and can lead to a total crop loss.

The increasing trade in counterfeit pesticides has become a serious threat not only for economic growth in Zimbabwe, but also for human and livestock health and environmental safety, while at the same time destroying consumer confidence.

Cooperation between all relevant government departments, monitoring and control of the market, working closely with industry to make an analysis quickly, and training and educating farmers are the key elements to success.

Farmers are urged to always purchase their agrochemicals from reputable suppliers and to avoid buying cheap counterfeit agrochemicals.

l Bongayi Gokoma is a sales agronomist at Agricura and member of CropLife Zimbabwe Executive Committee