SEEDCO, ZRP warn culprits distributing counterfeit seeds

In the wake of 2024/25 farming season, certified seeds distribution and supply giant, SEEDCO Limited has joined hands with Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) to thwart incidences of illegal selling of counterfeit seeds to unsuspecting farmers by fake syndicates.

Speaking during a media briefing in Harare this Tuesday, Seed Co Limited Managing Director, Mrs Felistus Gurajena claimed that the culprits have been shortchanging farmers prospects of contributing towards food security and yields.

"These culprits have been shortchanging farmers expectation to produce quality yields, productivity and efforts towards addressing food security," Gurajena said.

"These fake seeds supply cartels have been luring unsuspecting farmers through charging almost half price charged on genuine varieties. They have been rolling out imitations where a mere farmer cannot be able to distinguish between our genuine varieties and their fake ones," Gurajena added.

"As Seed Co, we have established distribution and supply centres with uniform pricing systems per variety throughout the country. To ascertain the genuineness of our varieties, the same price charged per 10kg maize seed in Mtoko will be the same in Kariba as there no price negotiation," Gurajena said.

"We don't use backyard tuckshops to supply seeds, but accredited retsilers and well known distribution centres," Gurajena advises.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe Republic Police national spokesperson, Commissioner Paul Nyathi has issued a warning to fake seeds supplying syndicates that the law will take its course without fear or favour, while expressing the forces quest to revisit convictions on the crime to be more deterrent.

"Several arrests have been effected in the previous farming seasons and we really appreciate collective efforts by members of the police, whistleblowers, Seed Co and other critical stakeholders who comply in reporting cases of criminality within their neighbourhoods," Nyathi said.

"In order for us to fully realise an end to the serial criminality of fake seeds supplies, we are appealing and planning to work closely with our Judiciary system so that their convictions would be deterrent. Convictions should therefore send a clear deterring message to prospective culprits or offenders," Nyathi added.

Statistics have shown that during the farming seasons, farmers become vulnerable to bogus seeds supplying syndicates posing as genuine suppliers. This has led to the partnership of police and Seed Co Limited to work closely in reducing the criminality in defense of unsuspecting farmers.

Over the previous farming seasons, Seed Co and police have recovered fake seeds in tonnages while arrests have been effected to ensure the cartels will not continuously shortchange farmers.