The share of counterfeit crop protection agents on the Ukrainian market is from 20% to 30%, Deputy Head of the biosecurity department and Head of the crop protection department of the State Service for Food Safety and Consumers’ Protection of Ukraine Viktor Stefkivsky has said. The expert said that the figure reaches 50% in retail. Director of the biosecurity and seed supervision department of the authority Andriy Chelombitko also pointed out growth in the volumes of low-quality and counterfeit crop protection agents, which is provoked by the current moratorium on inspections of legal entities.
“During the period when the moratorium is in effect, a lot of unfair “traders” took advantage of the situation and began mass distribution of counterfeit pesticides and agrochemicals for agricultural use, including through the retail network. This not only affects Ukraine’s reputation as a reliable partner in the turnover of high-quality vegetable products, but also causes irreparable harm to the environment and human health,” Chelombitko said.
As the experts said, the demand of Ukrainian agricultural producers in agrochemicals is about 100,000 tonnes per year and it is equivalent to the amount of about $2 billion, which is “extremely attractive for counterfeits.”
