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Informist, Friday, Apr. 24, 2026

NEW DELHI – CropLife India has urged the government to address the structural gaps in the draft Pesticides Management Bill, 2025, that are slowing innovations and delaying farmer adoption of newer molecules and solutions. It has proposed a time-bound five-year data protection window from the date of first registration to introduce newer, lower-dose, and more targeted crop technologies to farmers, it said in a release. 

"The government's effort to modernise pesticide regulation is timely and welcome. The draft Bill takes several important steps in the right direction, including digitisation and stronger action against spurious products," Ankur Aggarwal, chairman, CropLife India, said. The draft Bill aims to replace the nearly six-decade-old Insecticides Act, 1968. 

"Farmers today are dealing with more erratic pest pressures in the field, while exporters face tighter residue and SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) requirements in key markets such as the EU and UK. We cannot expect Indian agriculture to respond to these challenges with older chemistries alone," Aggarwal added. 

When farmers rely on older chemistries for too long, their spraying intensity rises as pests become resistant to formulations. As a result, many of India's agricultural produces fail to meet tightening residue expectations in domestic and export markets, it added. Annually, Indian agriculture faces 10-35% of crop losses, worth INR 2 trillion amid pest attacks and crop diseases, the association said.

The association also highlighted the unchecked growth of online sales of unauthorised pesticides on e-commerce platforms, threatening the safety of farmers and food. "Under the existing framework, e-commerce platforms are not explicitly required to obtain licences, verify Principal Certificates of sellers, or ensure that sales stay within approved geographic areas," it said. 

On enforcement, the association said the draft bill needs to distinguish between minor procedural lapses and willful violations. It also urged the government to penalise only the nominated responsible persons in charge of the specific facility, storage or branch. "The current draft allows directors and senior officials with no operational role in an alleged contravention to still be prosecuted indiscriminately," it said, adding that this dissuades talent from taking senior positions. End

Reported by Afra Abubacker

Edited by Deepshikha Bhardwaj

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