In the Kyiv region, a group that produced and sold counterfeit seeds was exposed

In the Kyiv region, a group that produced and sold counterfeit seeds was exposed

Prosecutors of the Kyiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office have filed a court case against five members of an organized group who are accused of large-scale production and sale of counterfeit agricultural seeds. The counterfeit products were distributed via the internet and specialized sales points without the necessary permits, causing damage exceeding 2 million hryvnias.

This is stated in a report by the press service of the Kyiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

According to the investigation, five residents of Kharkiv region set up an underground production facility in warehouse premises located in the Kyiv and Kharkiv regions. Seeds of dubious origin were packaged in bags with logos of popular brands and sold to farmers via the internet and specialized points without any licenses, contracts, or permits.

During searches, law enforcement seized nearly 2 tons of finished products, raw materials, dyes, bags with logos, labels, packaging equipment, a vehicle, computer equipment, and "black" accounting records. The estimated value of the seized counterfeit goods exceeds 2 million hryvnias.

"Under the procedural guidance of prosecutors from the Kyiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, an indictment has been sent to court against five members of the organized group who manufactured and sold seeds of unknown origin under the brand of high-yield hybrid sunflower, rapeseed, corn, legume, and cereal crops of foreign and domestic selection. They are charged with the illegal use of a trademark for goods and services, which caused material damage on a particularly large scale, committed by an organized group (Part 3 of Article 229 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine)," emphasized the Kyiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office.