CAA confiscates date expired pesticides; seller in custody

By Shezna Shums

Rupees five million worth of date expired pesticides have been taken into custody by the authorities before they could be distributed to the public for agricultural use.

The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) on Tuesday (12) carried out this special raid on the directive of Minister of Internal Trade and Cooperatives Minister Johnston Fernando. Chairman CAA Rumy Marzook said that the expired pesticide bearing the trade name ‘Sunflex’ was in the possession of a trade establishment called ‘Sunrise’ located in Kottawa and that the pesticide as well as those in possession of it were taken into custody by a special squad from the CAA.

“Normally pesticides have a shelf life of 24 months,” said Marzook.

However in the consignment detected, the original dates had been effaced and different dates had been put in place.                                               

“100,000 packets each containing 3.2 grammes of pesticides were detected and the whole consignment is valued at Rs. 5 million.”  The persons involved in this illegal act were taken into custody by the CAA officers together with the date expired pesticides,” explained Marzook.

Marzook highlighted that the owner of the consignment detected was in violation of the Consumer Affairs Act 10-4 as well as section 13 of the Consumer Affairs Authority Act No. 9 of 2003.

Section 10-4 of the Consumer Affairs Authority Act No. 9 of 2003 states that ‘Any person who removes, alters, obliterates, erases or defaces any label, description or price mark on any goods in respect of which a direction under subsection (1) has been issued, or sells or offers for sale any such goods from or on which the label, description or price mark has been removed, altered, obliterated, erased or defaced, shall be guilty of an offence under this Act.

The expired pesticides had been stored by the trader to be distributed to the public to be used for agricultural purposes.