New Delhi/Gandhinagar, Sep 29 (IANS) Gujarat has stepped up enforcement against violations involving the quality of seeds, fertilisers and pesticides, with 276 teams inspecting 6,380 dealers and registering 26 FIRs, Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani said at the ‘National Agriculture Conference – Rabi Campaign 2026’ in New Delhi.
Sharing details of the state’s quality-control measures during the two-day conference, Vaghani said the inspections also resulted in the suspension of 246 licences.
“Enforcement had continued this year, with 94 teams carrying out inspections at 3,760 locations. These inspections resulted in 136 licences being cancelled or suspended and 15 FIRs being registered,” he said.
The minister placed the enforcement figures before the conference as part of Gujarat’s preparations for the Rabi season and its efforts to maintain the quality of agricultural inputs supplied to farmers.
The National Agriculture Conference – Rabi Campaign 2026 was organised by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in New Delhi on September 28 and 29.
It brought together state agriculture ministers, senior officials from the Centre and states, and ICAR scientists to discuss preparations for the forthcoming Rabi season.
Vaghani said the state had adequate seed stocks for the Rabi season. “Gujarat had increased its agriculture budget to more than Rs 17,000 crore for 2026-27,” he said.
Separately, the state is promoting micro-irrigation to improve water-use efficiency.
The Gujarat Green Revolution Company has brought 25.91 lakh hectares under micro-irrigation so far, and has made a provision of Rs 1,250 crore this year to cover another two lakh hectares.
In tribal areas, the government plans to launch ‘Kisan Suvidha Rath’ through EMRI-GVK in 53 talukas across 14 districts to provide agriculture-related services and guidance to farmers at their doorstep.
Vaghani also urged the Centre to introduce new, stricter laws to prevent adulteration, replacing older legislation, and requested that the final protocol for testing nano-fertiliser samples be issued at the earliest.
The quality-control measures formed part of the broader discussions at the conference on Rabi preparedness, including seed availability, fertiliser supply, crop planning, digital agriculture, Farmer Registry, Digital Crop Survey, AgriStack, natural farming and crop diversification.
–IANS
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