New Delhi : DuPont has introduced unique solutions towards tackling the issue of illegal and counterfeit pesticides in the Indian agricultural sector. These solutions are aimed at protecting farmers, creating awareness about counterfeit pesticides with a holistic approach and also educating farmers in identifying an original genuine product versus a counterfeit one. DuPont has introduced DuPont™ Izon®, a secure authentication technology which is a visible 3D security system with a unique code that helps farmers identify DuPont crop protection brands. This works in conjunction with web based verification system or asms based verification system, whereby the farmer can send an SMS to a phone number to validate the authenticity of the product. Another unique solution is DuPont™ Traceology®, a cloud based product verification system tracks products and provides critical product information such as batch, lot, and part number to verify products. The use of this technology helps prevent the use of counterfeit product and safeguards farmers’ interest.

Counterfeit pesticides account for more than 40% of the pesticides sold in India*. These products infringe trademarks of reputed brands and pose great threat to the environment and can damage  crops, leading to severe wealth losses to the farmers. With a population of 1.2 billion and growing, rising incomes and urbanization, India’s food needs are growing rapidly and one of the critical challenges is to reduce crop loss. India loses approximately 18% of its crop yield due to pest attacks each year, incurring financial loss of Rs 90,000 crore annually.*

Commenting on the issue, Ram Mudholkar, Business Director, South Asia, DuPont Crop Protection business said, “The presence and threat of spurious, fake and illegal crop protection products is more than ever before. In the garb of crop protection, they threaten our agricultural growth. We at DuPont are committed to fight this menace together with Industry associations and State and Central governments.”

DuPont is committed to driving food security efforts in India by working with millions of farmers to help maximize their productivity and profitability through crop protection solutions. DuPont Crop Protection stewardship programme promotes high quality standards and responsible use of crop protection products, to protect farmers and their business; the environment; and safety of the food supply. Please click here to watch a video that showcases DuPont efforts towards anti-counterfeiting.