The Agrochemicals Association of Kenya, the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB) and the Anti-Counterfeit Authority, among other relevant agencies, continue to address the menace of counterfeits.
Agriculture remains an important component of Kenya’s economy. Enhanced agrochemicals and farm inputs account for the improvement of agricultural productivity in the region, yet the sector continues to face the threat of counterfeit agricultural inputs.
According to the East African Community, East Africa’s population is approximately 284 million with more than 30% of this population living in urban areas. The high population of the region and a significant section of it being urban dwellers signify an increased demand for agricultural products.
Mr. Patrick Ngugi AAK Grow Chairman, Anti-Counterfeit EWG
East Africa’s agricultural productivity depends on the ease of access to high-quality agricultural inputs including agrochemicals, seeds and fertilizers. The Agrochemical
Association of Kenya (AAK) is the agency responsible for the management of stakeholders of agricultural inputs and, among other things, ensuring the production and improvement of genuine inputs in Kenya. The production of quality agricultural inputs contributes to increased agricultural production, improved food security, livelihoods and environmental protection.
Despite the improvement in production and access to quality agricultural inputs, unscrupulous manufacturers and businessmen continue to infiltrate the market with counterfeit seeds, fertilizers and agrochemicals. This menace poses grave challenges to agricultural productivity by negatively affecting yields, causing destruction and contamination of land and other natural resources and affecting the health of living organisms.
This justifies the need for relevant agencies in the region and Kenya to establish mechanisms for fighting and eliminating counterfeits of agricultural inputs. Recent research findings by the Agrochemicals Association of Kenya show that counterfeits account for about 20% of the total agricultural inputs in Kenya, implying that farmers, consumers and the environment are greatly endangered.
Additionally, statistics show that the economy loses more than billions of shillings to unscrupulous and unregistered manufacturers dealing in counterfeits. These counterfeit dealers take advantage of the high poverty levels and ignorance of a majority of farmers who cannot afford the high costs of such inputs despite high demand nor differentiate between counterfeits and genuine products.
The Agrochemicals Association of Kenya, the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB) and the Anti-Counterfeit Authority, among other relevant agencies, continue to address the menace with the intent of curbing and ridding the agricultural inputs market of counterfeits. To this end, the Agrochemicals Association of Kenya established the Anti- Counterfeit Steering Committee which brings together various players in the agricultural input industry and law enforcers to tackle the counterfeiting of agricultural inputs and promote the production, distribution and utilization ofsafe inputs.
Among the measures that the Anti-Counterfeit Steering Committee has touted include allowing sector players to self-regulate by arresting and prosecuting crooked counterfeiters. Self-regulation is effective because it enables genuine players who are keen on improving the manufacture and sale of quality inputs to identify and weed out the rogue ones. The Committee also supports the licensing of all dealers in agricultural inputs, thereby criminalizing unlicensed entities and those dealing in seeds, fertilizers and agrochemicals but are not members of the Agrochemicals Association of Kenya.
Despite rigorous measures by KEBS, Pest Control and Products Board and the Anti-Counterfeit Authority, counterfeiters exploit farmers by selling and distributing fake products with labels that make them look genuine. Coupled with the persuasive marketing strategies employed by the fake dealers—some of who sell the products from mobile trucks or vehicles without proper identification—the unsuspecting farmers easily fall for the counterfeit agricultural inputs.
AAK, through the Anti-Counterfeit Steering Committee, has partnered with other regulatory agencies including the Pest Control and Products Board to continuously inspect, test and ascertain the quality and efficacy of agricultural inputs before their classification and licensing. Such strict standardization enables easy identification and elimination of fake agricultural inputs from the market thus saving farmers from the potential dangers of using them.
Lack of awareness is one of the biggest hindrances to curbing anti-counterfeit agricultural inputs. To address this, AAK in partnership with other players has consistently held training sessions to create awareness among customs officers in charge of entry points, and farmers on the detection of counterfeits. Awareness creation among customs officers is effective in curbing crossborder counterfeiting of agricultural inputs thus reducing the infiltration of fake inputs into the Kenyan market from neighbouring countries.
AAK also conducts anti-counterfeit training and outreaches to stakeholders in various counties. For instance, AAK in collaboration with agencies such as the Anti-Counterfeit Authority, Kenya National Farmers Federation, Kenya Bureau of Standards and the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service among others conducted an anti-counterfeit outreach in Uasin Gishu and Transzoia counties where at least 490 farmers were sensitized on how to prevent counterfeits.
Other anti-counterfeit activities include the observance and celebration of World Anti-Counterfeit Day Celebrations which is used to sensitize agrochemicals and farmers on the need to be vigilant to avoid the buying and utilization of counterfeit inputs from unlicensed and uncredited manufacturers and suppliers.
The Recordation Regulations (2021) introduced by the Anti-Counterfeits Authority require owners of intellectual property rights to register their intellectual property rights issued in their countries of origin or Kenya with the Authority at a fee. This requirement—although punitive as it adds to the cost of agricultural inputs and of business—goes a long way in nabbing manufacturers dealing in counterfeits.
Original Article was written in the AAK Grow Hand Book.