The regulatory checks for these farm inputs are with the Directorates of Agriculture & Horticulture. These two departments are the producers & suppliers of some of these farm inputs. Besides this, the other suppliers of some of the inputs are the government controlled cooperative or public sector bodies. So the proper regulatory checks by these departments are neither justified nor expected.

The government nurseries are usually much below standard. In early eightees during the twentieth century, it was established that the dreaded scab- disease of apple & pear spread through the government nurseries. The fact was established by the scientific survey done by the department of plant pathology of the College of Agriculture, Solan. Some of the imported scab resistant varieties also induced the dreaded pest like spider mite in the apple growing belts. This problem has also not been satisfactorily checked for the past one & a half-decade.

Also the supplies of farm chemicals had remained under sharp criticism. Sometimes the expired farm chemicals were supplied, and at other times the spurious ones were distributed to the farming families. Moreover, the seeds of grain crops and other planting material procured by the department of agriculture remained controversial.

More so, there never remained strict regulatory checks regarding quarantine and sub-standard aspects of the planting material. There seems to be unchecked trade and import of the planting material from adjoining states, or by the seed and nursery companies. Even the proper knowledge regarding the hybrid seeds or other planing material had been reported from the fields of this Hill State. The economic losses are colossal. Also there had been instances of the supplies of the sub-standard Farm Machinery and equipment. The sub-standard farm machinery and equipment cause many accidents, causing permanent disabilities on the farm owners or farm labour. The inferior quality equipment and machinery also tell upon the efficiency, causing heavy losses of man-hours.

In light of the facts mentioned above there is an urgent need to establish an independent FARM INPUTS REGULATORY AUTHORITY (FIRA) with the powers to inspect government and private nurseries, producers and suppliers of planting material through out the state. The FIRA shall also have the power to destroy the sub-standard planting material and impose heavy fine on producers/ suppliers/ traders. This means, the penulty clauses in the regulatory rules should be so heavy, that no one dares supply substandard, non-recommended, fake or otherwise harmful farm inputs.

This Authority must have the powers to draw samples of agricultural inputs stored or being supplied in the State and get the samples analyzed. For this the Plant Protection laboratory may be set up to test the samples with in the state.

In order to establish the laboratory, the grant or assistance may be asked from the Government of India. The Authority shall initiate regulatory activities after formulating the Standards of the farm inputs.

The FIRA shall also act the Certifying Agency for the planting material. Besides these powers, the FIRA must act as the Compensation Commission for awarding adequate compensation to the affected farming families.

The FIRA shall have to enroll the farm graduates for enforcement of the regulations. This will provide additional job avenues to them.The cost of the FIRA is recoverable from the fees imposed for getting Standard Certification of the planting material, other inputs & getting quarantine certificate, which should be mandatory for the supplies of the planting material. Uncertified planting material and other farm inputs shall not be allowed for supply in the field in this Hill State.