The Authentication Forum discusses counterfeit market

Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister, Ministry of Commerce & Industry & Civil Aviation, Government of India, inaugurated the event and reiterated the government's resolve to deal harshly with the rising menace of counterfeiting. ‘We are going to make a very modern intellectual property rights (IPR) era in India and that would lead to creating people investing into the brand and that will lead to a knowledge economy which in turn will make India a far better place and developed place.’

Other associations and companies that participated at the event included: Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Right Authority; Central Board of Excise & Customs; Hyundai; Society of Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM); Ernst & Young; KPMG; Hero Motor Corp.; FMC Corporation; Pesticide Manufacturers Association of India (PMFAI); and Anand & Anand law firm, among others.

Dr R C Agrawal, registrar general, Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Right Authority, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare said: ‘Even as industry revenues take a major hit by counterfeits, the biggest loss is to the consumer. All of us need to work together to address this growing concern.’

Dr S K Singh, scientific advisor, Union Minister, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers, said: ‘Indian government is taking big steps in digitizing agriculture sector to ensure farmers rights. Measures like traceability and anti-counterfeiting systems will ensure the quality commitment of agricultural products produce in India.’

It was noted that the size of the counterfeit pesticide market in India is as high as 30 percent by volume and 25 percent by value. It is predicted that the market for counterfeit agrochemicals will reach 40 percent by value of pesticides sold in the country by 2019.

U K Gupta, ASPA president, added: ‘Counterfeiting is growing at an alarming rate of almost 44 percent per year in India. The market for fakes are on a constant rise in India and has surpassed over Rs 40,000 crore in the organised sector alone, as law enforcement remains weak and fraudsters freely make inroads into the market.’

Dr Bakul Joshi, brand protection expert, FMC Corporation, shared a case study on protecting agrochemicals products, while Naveen Chauhan, head sales and marketing, parts business, Hero MotoCorp, shared an automotive perspective. The event also witnessed a dedicated session on the  future of anti-counterfeiting technologies, covering blockchain, NFC, optical and off-line authentication. The audience also received a presentation on the importance of branding, IPR and effective intelligence.

The forum was ended with ‘The Big Debate – Global Growth of Counterfeiting Trade – Why is it increasing – lack of intent, of action or of awareness?’ The debate ended with the conclusion that having an effective anti-counterfeiting and brand protection strategy is no longer an option but an essential part of any business strategy.

Read a detailed report from the second edition of the The Authentication Forum in Labels & Labeling issue 3, 2018.