Authorities bust ring behind bogus tips on farming

Local authorities in Puyang, Henan province, have launched an investigation into a company accused of using fake agricultural experts on social media platforms to promote and sell substandard agricultural inputs, including pesticides and fertilizers. The move comes after a media report exposed the deceptive practices of a local agricultural company and its network of online marketing.

According to a recent report by China Central Television's business channel, a local company called "Xianghe Agriculture" created hundreds of online accounts featuring people posing as agricultural experts, professors and recent agricultural university graduates, aiming to mislead farmers and sell products made by the company that claimed to boost agricultural production.

These fake experts, who wore shirts bearing the company's logo in their videos, offered advice on farming techniques and promoted products sold through the company's online store. However, farmers who purchased the products reported that they were ineffective and did not live up to the advertised claims.