dyton mupawaenda
Precious Manomano-Herald Reporter
THE long arm of the law will soon catch up with unscrupulous individuals taking advantages of desperate farmers to trade in counterfeit maize seed with the Zimbabwe Republic Police teaming up with leading seed house, Seed Co to flush out culprits.
In an operation that started this month and is set to end in December, police will enforce provisions of the Seed Act Chapter19:13 and ensure that the law takes its course on individuals, syndicates and traders found selling fake or counterfeit seed maize.
Available statistics indicate that 74 cases of these fraudulent activities were reported in the 2022/23 season with 74 tonnes of fake seed recovered. In the 2021/22 season 47 cases were reported while 1 775 tonnes of fake seed were recovered. In the 2020/21 season 51 cases were reported with police recovering 138 tonnes of counterfeit seed.
Speaking during a press conference yesterday, national spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi urged farmers to cooperate with the police and Seed Co officials and assist in the identification of fake seed during the forthcoming agricultural season.
“Zimbabwe Republic Police has recorded cases of traders and individuals who are openly selling fake and counterfeit maize seed to unsuspecting farmers. Some of the maize seed is being sold through informal markets in places like Mbare. Chinhoyi and Marondera are among some of the areas where such incidents have been reported.
“The syndicates and some of the traders are reportedly selling fake seeds packaged in material and logos resembling Seed Co’s trade mark and brand — obviously to lure customers,’’ he said.
Assistant Commissioner Nyathi urged the public to report to the nearest police station anyone they found selling fake or counterfeit seeds adding that it was necessary for all citizens to appreciate the dangers of buying fake seeds on streets. Seed Co chief executive officer Mr Terrence Chimanya said they had enough seed to meet the requirements for the forthcoming cropping season. He also revealed that their research and development unit was looking at breeding other products for both local and export markets.
“We are excited that the selling season is upon us and I’m confident to say that as Seed Co we are more than ready. Some areas are already raining and people are already buying seed. We have dedicated and knowledgeable agronomists in all the four corners of the country who are primed to assist farmers so that we achieve a bumper harvest as a country and stay true to Vision 2030,’’ he said.
The company is also in production of rice, potato, sunflower, wheat, soya beans, sugar beans and sorghum other than maize.
“This deplorable act must be treated with the contempt it deserves and this is why we are working tirelessly with ZRP across the country to make sure that his lawlessness is nipped in the bud. As Seed Co we have expert agronomists stationed in each province and they will be working with ZRP to make sure that only certified seed goes into the ground so that we can record a bumper harvest, making sure our nation and region are food secure,’’ said Mr Chimanya.
He urged farmers to buy seed from reputable shops such as OK Supermarkets, N Richards, National Tested Seed, Gains, Profeeds among others.
The sale of fake seeds has a far reaching negative effects for all seed companies and not to Seed Co alone other than the farmers, Zimbabwe and the region.
He also challenged people to report bogus traders to ZRP saying they were breaking the law (Seed Act and Trademark Act).
Mr Chimanya urged farmers to choose seed varieties that match the agro-ecological regions in which they are situatedHe recommended to mitigate the effects of climate change and most importantly the forecast El Nino weather.
Online Reporter