Lango agro-input dealers opt out of open-market sales to fight counterfeits
According to official national research, over half of the products sold on the Ugandan market are counterfeit, 90 percent of which are substandard
LIRA CITY, July 31, 2026 — Agro-input dealers in Lango Sub-region have resolved to stop selling agricultural inputs in open markets as part of efforts to curb the circulation of counterfeit products among farmers.
The resolution was reached during a recent meeting held at the Lira City Council Community Hall, which brought together agro-input dealers from Lira City and across the Lango Sub-region.
Susan Acen, chairperson of the Lango Agro-Input Dealers Association and manager of Jalson Farmers’ Agro Limited, said the increasing involvement of unscrupulous traders in the sale of counterfeit agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertilisers, and pesticides among others, was affecting legitimate businesses.
“People are promoting fake seeds. A person prepares fake seeds and rushes with them to the markets, which is not good,” Acen said.
Acen said stopping the open-market sale of agricultural inputs was the best way to protect legitimate dealers and farmers, urging dealers to remain in their shops and wait for farmers to seek their services.
“So, for us to be protected as agro-input dealers, we have agreed not to sell our inputs in open markets. The issue of chemicals and seeds going to the markets is something we do not want to see. Every agro-input dealer in Lira should go, sit and wait for farmers to come to their shops,” Acen said.
She further said the association would not stand in solidarity with dealers arrested for selling agricultural inputs in open markets, arguing that such actions would contravene both government regulations and the association’s resolution.
“If you are arrested with your seeds and other inputs, we shall not be involved because it is against our resolution, and it is also against the government’s laws,” she said.
Christine Anyinge Ojok, Manager of Tinoq Farmers’ Hub Limited in Lira City, said the problem of counterfeit agro-inputs had been a major concern for dealers, adding that the meeting had been long overdue.
“We have been yearning for this meeting for quite a long time. There is no proper chain of seeds flowing to the market; somewhere, the market is cut,” Anyinge said.
Meanwhile, Easy Bash Bashir Machar, Vice-Chairperson of the Lango Agro-Input Dealers Association, said open markets were contributing to the increased circulation of counterfeit agricultural inputs in communities.
Machar, who owns Shalak Agro-Input Shop in Lira City, said operations to impound counterfeit inputs would be conducted without prior notice to ensure that more offenders were apprehended.
“Open markets are increasing the rate at which fake seeds and other inputs are being sold. We shall neither inform nor announce the time of arrest of those operating in the open markets. We shall just get a lorry and impound the fake items,” Machar said.
He also blamed some civil servants for the continued circulation of counterfeit agricultural inputs, alleging that impounded products were sometimes returned to the market.
“My concern other concern is with technical workers in local governments and the police because they sometimes impounded impound the fake inputs but are later taken back to the markets,” he said.
Denis Osborne Ocaya, the Lira City Agricultural Officer, encouraged members of the Lango Agro-Input Dealers Association to report cases involving counterfeit inputs, saying his office is ready to receive and handle such complaints.
“There are individuals we have identified to whom you can report issues of fake seeds. You can also report to me,” Ocaya said.
Ocaya said he would seek guidance from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries [MAAIF] on how to address counterfeit agricultural inputs across districts.
“I am also going to liaise with the Ministry [MAAIF] to ensure there is a write-up sent to handle the issue of counterfeits in the markets, district by district and sub-county by sub-county,” Ocaya said.
The products that the association has mainly identified as counterfeit include DK777 maize seed being sold at unusually low prices by some unregistered agro dealers operating in open markets.
The Association leaders said eliminating open-market sales would help farmers identify genuine agro-input dealers and reduce the circulation of counterfeit seeds and other agricultural products in Lango Sub-region.
Additional reporting
According to Global Initiative Against Transitional Organized Crime, counterfeit agricultural products, from fake seeds and adulterated fertilizers to unregistered chemicals and vaccines, are one of Uganda’s most damaging yet underacknowledged economic challenges. Their consequences reach far beyond the individual farmer: with roughly 70 percent of the population dependent on agriculture for employment, fraudulent products threaten food security, productivity and the resilience of the wider economy.
“Fertilisers are a particularly high‑risk segment of this market, as the sector is price sensitive and heavily dependent on imports, and the quality of the product is difficult for farmers to assess,” the organisation says.
These vulnerabilities, it is stated, are compounded by Uganda’s deteriorating soil conditions. Sustained nutrient depletion has left large areas of land dependent on external inputs to stay viable, meaning that for millions of smallholder farmers, fertilisers and agrochemicals are a necessity rather than a luxury. And as demand for affordable products grows, so too does the scope for criminal exploitation.
Uganda and the wider counterfeit goods economy
Globally, the trade in counterfeit goods has historically been considered a low-priority issue, largely overlooked by policymakers, law enforcement agencies and researchers. According to the latest iteration of the Global Organized Crime Index, however, the scale of the market has expanded rapidly in recent years – a concern that sharpens in areas where counterfeit goods threaten public health and security.
In 2025, the trade in counterfeit goods received a global criminality score of 5.09, up from 4.98 in 2023. East Africa was among the five most affected regions, with a score of 6.22. Uganda stood out even more sharply, with a score of 7.50 – well above the global and regional averages.
According to official national research, over half of the products sold on the Ugandan market are counterfeit, 90 percent of which are substandard. The trade results in annual tax losses of up to Shs 6 trillion Ugandan, as well as losses of up to Shs 4bln for local industry.
The products most affected include medicines, food and drink, cosmetics, electronics and construction materials. In the agricultural sector, estimates indicate that 30‒50 percent of seeds and more than 60 percent of pesticides are fake. There have also been cases of fraudulent vaccines and drugs being linked to animal deaths and increased susceptibility to disease, with direct implications for farm productivity and income.
In 2021, Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries raised concerns about the market being ‘flooded with counterfeit agrochemicals’, and emphasized the lack of effective inspection and enforcement capabilities to regulate products and curb the activities of unauthorized dealers. With nearly 46 percent of agro-input businesses operating without national registration, however, effective oversight and traceability are limited. And as recent media reports, enforcement operations and statements by farmers and agricultural cooperatives indicate, the trend is not slowing.
Market dynamics and structural vulnerabilities
Although the Ugandan government has started commissioning domestic fertilizer processing plants in recent years, the country remains largely dependent on external supply. The two main inorganic fertilisers on the market, urea and NPK [nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium], are imported from Russia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and Malaysia, as well as neighbouring countries like Kenya.
Imports were valued at approximately US$54.75 million in 2024. Volumes have fluctuated over time, exceeding 100 000 tonnes in 2018 before declining to around 67 000 tonnes in 2022, the most recent year for which data is available.
The use of fertiliser in Uganda is low compared to global rates, mainly due to cost. The price of a 50-kilogram bag of phosphorous fertilizer, for instance, increased from Shs 93 000 in 2019 to Shs 200, 000 today. And prices are expected to rise further in response to shipping blockades in the Gulf.
Although verifiable comparative prices for counterfeit fertilizers are difficult to obtain, GI-TOC research indicates that fake products are typically 10–20 percent cheaper than the genuine article, although their production costs are significantly lower. A counterfeit bag that takes Shs 15, 000 to produce, for instance, could be sold for more than Shs 120 000.
Quality aside, genuine fertilizers are simply unaffordable for many farmers in Uganda’s low-income economy. While the government has supported subsidy programmes in the past, the current lack of direct support means fertilizers are likely to remain out of reach for most smallholdings.
An organised criminal economy
Although Uganda’s counterfeit agricultural inputs market operates through informal networks, it is a well-organised and highly coordinated criminal enterprise. Key actors include licensed companies that distribute both genuine and fake products, wholesalers that infiltrate legitimate supply chains, compromised retailers, and corrupt enforcement officials who facilitate cross-border movement and market entry. Profit margins are high as production costs are low, and the market generates attractive returns.
Counterfeit fertilisers are typically produced to imitate genuine products, either by using fake labels or by repackaging in original containers. Substandard fertilizers, by contrast, are genuine products that are diluted with other substances and sold as authentic. Urea fertilisers, for instance, are often mixed with sand, while NPK is diluted with fillers such as ash or clay.
Criminal networks target rural and remote areas where there is a high demand for agricultural supplies, oversight is low and knowledge of how to assess product quality is limited. Farmers who purchase fake products fall broadly into two groups: those who unknowingly buy counterfeits, and those who deliberately opt for the cheaper alternative due to financial constraints or limited access to verified suppliers.
Regulatory and enforcement responses – and their limits
In an effort to address the issue of counterfeit agricultural products, Uganda has developed an electronic traceability system to monitor chemicals throughout the supply chain, although it has yet to be implemented. Legislative reforms are also in process, including a review of the Agricultural Chemicals [Control] Act to introduce new and tougher penalties.
In 2021, the government launched joint operations involving the police, the State House Anti-Corruption Unit and the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries.
However, the effectiveness of these interventions is undermined by weak market surveillance and a lack of sufficient laboratories and adequate equipment for mandatory testing and import certification.
In order to gain control of the situation, cooperation between the agriculture ministry, the Uganda National Bureau of Standards, the police and the Uganda Revenue Authority will be essential.
The persistence of the counterfeit agricultural inputs market thus reflects the deeper structural deficiencies that enable illicit actors to infiltrate legitimate supply chains. Without improved coordination, monitoring and quality control, counterfeit fertilisers are likely to remain a fixture of the trade, with continued implications for agricultural productivity and economic resilience.
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