New Delhi, June 3 -- The Centre is preparing to introduce a stricter law to tackle the issue of fake fertilisers and spurious agricultural inputs - a problem that, according to a recent study, accounts for 40% of total sales by value and causes economic losses to farmers by reducing overall output, HT has learnt.

The country already has provisions that ban and criminalise sale of counterfeit pesticides and fertilisers, but seizures and crackdowns are not commonplace. The new law will have harsher punishment and target supply chains, an official said.

Agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had recently flagged the issue, urging farmers not to overuse agricultural chemicals and limit their use to prescribed limits, apart from warning ...