Invest in R&D to develop local pesticides: Agri Min

Stating that most pesticide chemicals are being developed abroad, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh today asked domestic pesticide firms to invest in research and development to develop new products.
"About 100 per cent of pesticide chemicals are being developed by other countries today. The reason being is that multinational firms are investing in R&D. The domestic firms should also invest in R&D and join the league of other countries in developing pesticide chemicals," Singh said.
He was speaking at an event organised by the Crop Care Foundation of India (CCFI), an association of pesticide manufacturers.
The Minister also asked pesticide manufacturers to conduct training of dealers to make them understand their role in creating awareness to farmers about pesticide use when selling the product.

"Dealers should be educated so that they can create awareness among farmers about over-use of pesticides. They should also be told to sell pesticides which are registered with the government's registration committee," he said.
Expressing concern over disposal of pesticide bottles, the Minister said that the companies should make arrangement for sale disposal of pesticide bottles or containers.

Singh said that the government has speed up the registration process of new pesticides and chemicals. "About 5,000 application are cleared every month. We are also focusing on ways to clear the applications at much faster pace in next 3-4 months," he added.

On maximum residue level (MRL) of pesticides, the Minister said there are no MRL fixed for many pesticides which are in use in the country.
"We have been asking companies to provide the data on this issue. This data is necessary so that registration of pesticides are not cancelled and ensure they are available for use in the market," he added.