The government will criminalize the sale of counterfeit seeds starting with the 2027 agricultural season, as part of new legislation that will introduce a mandatory tracking system using QR codes on packaging, the Lusa news agency reported.
According to the report, the announcement was made by the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries, Roberto Albino, during a meeting with business leaders in the city of Beira, Sofala province.
“Selling fake seeds will become a crime. From the next agricultural season onward, seed packages will be sealed and will carry a QR code,” the minister said.
According to Roberto Albino, the system will make it possible to identify the producer, the certifying authority, and the unit responsible for seed processing, as well as provide technical information about the product, thereby strengthening transparency and quality control in the agricultural market.
The new law, which the government intends to submit to Parliament next year, will classify seed falsification as fraud, carrying prison sentences for offenders.
“Selling fake seeds is a crime punishable by imprisonment,” the minister stressed.
At the same meeting, Roberto Albino also announced the launch, within the next two weeks, of a campaign to recover unused land, calling for the voluntary return to the state of land use rights that have been allocated but remain unexploited.
“We call on businesspeople who hold land use and benefit rights and are not using the allocated land to voluntarily return it to the state. When the new Land Law is approved, there will no longer be room for negotiation and the decision will be automatic,” he warned.
According to the minister, priority will be given to recovering land located near rivers to make it available to young farmers, including agronomy graduates who still lack access to land, as the government seeks to boost agribusiness and increase agricultural productivity in the country.
Source: Diário Económico
