Srinagar, March 20 -- Substandard and misbranded pesticides are ruining the horticulture industry in Kashmir.

Waking up to the crisis, apple growers have sent SOS to the governmenttostem the rot. Their concerns stem from the fact that Kashmir is witnessing a huge influx of substandard and misbranded pesticides and insecticides.

Quality Control and Chemist Laboratories of the Agriculture Department recently discovered that two widely used pesticides, Indofil M-45 (which contains Mancozeb 75% WP as its active ingredient) and CAPTAF (which contains Captan 50% WP as its active ingredient), were misbranded.

Farmers are worried that these ineffective products could leave their crops vulnerable to pest infestations, as the valley's climate cr...