It's Not Just Pakistan Exporting Terror—Post-Covid, China Is Now Exporting Agroterrorism

In an era where war has moved from battlefields to boardrooms and databases, an even more vital but overlooked territory is being weaponized—agriculture. The term "agroterrorism" may sound like science fiction, but it is fast becoming a reality. It refers to the intentional sabotage or manipulation of a nation's agricultural integrity using biological, economic, or technological means. China, already known for employing unconventional methods in global competition, appears to be extending its reach into farms and food security. While cyberattacks and economic coercion grab headlines, something far quieter—but potentially more devastating—is at play: the deliberate disruption of farming ecosystems. And the two biggest targets? The United States and India.


In 2020, Americans across all 50 states began reporting the arrival of mysterious packages from China—unsolicited, unmarked envelopes often labeled as “jewelry” but containing seeds. While authorities initially suspected it to be a brushing scam (a tactic where fake deliveries are made to boost online seller ratings), the alarm bells in agricultural and homeland security departments rang louder. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warned that such seeds could introduce invasive species, plant diseases, or genetically contaminated crops. The biological risk was enormous. Even if some packages were innocuous, the scale, coordination, and intent were suspicious. Given that Chinese nationals had previously been caught stealing genetically modified corn seeds from U.S. fields, many experts believed these seed deliveries could be a "soft probe"—a test to measure America's biosecurity response time. Agricultural warfare, after all, doesn’t begin with explosions—it begins with contamination.


Vulnerability in this scenario is even more acute. With its vast and unregulated agricultural system, millions of small-scale farmers, and weak enforcement, India is a soft target for agroeconomic sabotage. Over the last decade, Indian farmers in states like Punjab, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh have reported entire seasons ruined due to fake hybrid seeds—often sold at cheap prices with Chinese markings or via shadow companies in Nepal and Bangladesh. These seeds either fail to germinate or bear sterile crops that force dependency. There have also been incidents of illegal genetically modified traits showing up in Indian vegetables, including brinjal and cotton, raising suspicions of bioengineered sabotage. More alarming was the sudden 2018 outbreak of the Fall Armyworm, a pest originally native to the Americas. It spread rapidly across India, decimating maize fields and appearing through trade channels linked to Southeast Asia. While direct proof of Chinese involvement remains elusive, the pattern of disruption matches the larger strategy seen elsewhere. Simultaneously, Chinese biotech firms are aggressively mapping Indian crop genomes, possibly to replicate or flood global markets with duplicates, threatening India’s agricultural export advantage.


To understand whether these events are isolated, accidental, or intentional, one must look into China’s geopolitical philosophy. In 1999, two Chinese colonels wrote a treatise titled “Unrestricted Warfare”, which stated that war in the modern era must go beyond guns and missiles to include economic sabotage, media manipulation, legal warfare, and yes—even agriculture. Within that framework, food becomes both a weapon and a weakness. Agriculture is an ideal domain for covert attacks: failures can be blamed on monsoons, pests, or farmer error. Bioengineered seeds, pathogens, and pests don’t leave fingerprints, and even if discovered, the aggressor can deny everything. Disrupting crop yields, lowering food security, and destroying farmer trust causes long-term economic decline and social unrest—all without firing a single bullet. If you can control your enemy’s food supply, you control their economy, politics, and people.

Despite mounting evidence and recurring incidents, both the U.S. and Indian governments have largely downplayed the idea of Chinese agroterrorism. There are many reasons: lack of hard evidence, fear of diplomatic backlash, scientific complexity, and bureaucratic inertia. Agroterrorism is difficult to prove in court or in the media—it’s slow, ambiguous, and often buried under natural causes. Moreover, mainstream coverage tends to label these incidents as scams or farming issues rather than threats to national security. The result is a dangerous vacuum. China’s strategic strength lies in plausible deniability. Failed crops? Bad weather. Pest attack? Climate change. GM traits? Accidental cross-pollination. This confusion is not a flaw—it’s the feature. In the absence of counter-narratives, China wins by simply allowing disruption to flourish while rivals remain paralyzed.

This is not just about economics—it’s about sovereignty. Agriculture is not a backward domain to be ignored—it is the foundation of civilization. If the seeds we sow are compromised, the nation cannot stand strong. The silent war China is waging on the fields of India and the U.S. may never make it to primetime news, but its consequences are generational. The farmer must now be viewed not just as an economic agent, but as a soldier on the frontlines of a new kind of war. The field is the new fortress. The grain is the new gold. And the soil must be guarded like the border. Because in this war, the enemy doesn’t wear a uniform—it hides in a seed.