Effect of Counterfeiting on Agriculture

John is a 35-year-old man that lives in Ogun State. He is married with two children. John is a farmer and has a small plot of land with hopes to acquire more. He began farming five years ago and really enjoys his profession. Tomatoes are his specialty but he also harvests other foodstuffs. In this short time, he has made strong connections with the women at the market that buy from him and the suppliers of crop protection products.

Last year, John realized that the pesticides he had purchased were not effective in preventing his crops from being destroyed. It seemed the more he applied the pesticides; the more his crops were destroyed. His yield was not sufficient to take to market. By the time he racked up enough to take to the market, the strong relationships he had established with the market women was strained because of inconsistencies in his supply. This left him a very frustrated farmer because his income was affected; his family was suffering as a result of this.

John traced the problem down to the quality of the crop protection products he was using and realized they were counterfeited products.

John’s story is one of many small-scale farmers. They take the risk to start running their farm and build relationships with suppliers and the traders. But counterfeiters make it difficult by intercepting the supply chain of crop protection products. They replace good quality products with their fake versions, which could be harmful short term and even have long-term health effects for the end consumers. 


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