Kenya and India crackdown on illegal fertilizer trade, seizing counterfeit bags and subsidised urea

Kenyan authorities have arrested three suspects and seized about 3,500 bags of suspected counterfeit fertilizer in Uasin Gishu County, part of a wider operation targeting illegal agricultural inputs. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations said the raid uncovered counterfeit urea and DAP fertilizers, threatening crop yields and undermining the government’s subsidised fertilizer programme.

In India, police in Kerala have seized 1,360 bags of subsidised urea at a polymer factory in Pulluvazhi after a tip‑off indicated the fertilizer was being used for non‑agricultural purposes. The factory owner, Ihsanul Rahman K S, has been charged under the Essential Commodities Act and the Fertiliser (Control) Order, amid concerns about a national shortage of urea.