Agricultural inspectors in the company of Police mounted a surprised operation against the sale of counterfeit goods in container village a popular hub for dealers of agro-inputs in Kampala. When some of the dealers realized the presence of officials, they abandoned their shops and stores but Police went ahead to check them. Some were found with illegal chemicals which are mixed to come up with counterfeit products. Police impounded a truck full of counterfeit merchandise and arrested scores of shop owners. “So far we have arrested 7 people who were got selling expired chemicals, some were selling adulated chemicals.” Said, Alex Twebaze – Deputy Commandant, Agriculture Police Unit.

However, the business community blamed the existence of counterfeit products on government. “It’s the government which brings the investors from whom we buy the agro-inputs. It should deal with them instead of us.” Said, Samuel Ntambi – Dealer in Agro-inputs. “It’s not a problem of the business people. They buy from manufacturers who are well known. This is just a loss for many.” Said, Joy Mayanja Kato – Chairperson, Container Village Business Community. Fake agro-inputs do not only lead to poor yields but also harmful to the environment.