Shortage to scam: Fake fertilisers, pesticides flood farms - how much is China to blame?
Published in The Economic Times | September 2025
Ajay Kakra, Leader, Food and Agriculture, GIDAS, Forvis Mazars in India, says studies suggest that nearly 25–30% of pesticides sold in India are spurious or sub-standard, representing an illegal market of roughly Rs 3,475 crore annually. "In the seed sector, for instance, banned HTBt cotton seeds account for about Rs 600 crore, or 15% of the total cotton seed market."