Govt issues new draft of Pesticides Management Bill to curb spurious sales

Industry says absence of regulatory data protection in new draft could hamper research; welcomes no pricing control

The government on Wednesday released another draft of the Pesticides Management Bill to replace the Insecticides Act, 1968, and, under it, the Insecticides Rules, 1971.

 

According to an official statement, the basic thrust of the draft is to use technology and digital methods for stricter control over spurious pesticides through imposing higher penalties.

 

Since 2000-01, there have been several attempts to amend the 1968 Act and the Rules under it but none succeeded.

 

There is concern in the plant-protection industry over inspector- and licence-driven regimes hindering research on new molecules in the absence of adequate regulatory data protection.

   

The comments on the draft have to be submitted by February 4.

 

The draft, according to the initial reading, does not mention pricing, leaving it to the companies concerned to determine that. This was a major concern of companies.

 

The new draft, according to the official statement, also incorporates provisions such as transparency and traceability to ensure better service to farmers, thereby promoting ease of living.

 

The statement also says amendments have been introduced to strengthen administrative control and management of pesticides, striking a balance between ease of life and ease of doing business.

 

Kalyan Goswami, director general, Agro Chem Federation of India (ACFI), said: “The Bill is a significant attempt to modernise India’s regulatory framework on pesticides. But there are many lacunae, which need to be addressed. In the past, registrations were granted to entities hardly having the required infrastructure to manufacture pesticides. The Bill should recommend granting registration to bona fide applicants with the required and verified manufacturing facilities. This will ensure that pesticides are produced without compromising on quality, safety, or efficacy.”

 

He said to improve the standards of laboratories testing the quality of pesticides, all the laboratories established, notified, or recognised must be accredited either by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories or be certified under “good lab practices”. The Bill is somehow silent on this matter.

 

The Bill should decriminalise minor procedural violations like labelling or documentation errors and address them through monetary penalties or administrative sanctions, reserving criminal punishment only for serious offences such as manufacturing or selling unregistered, counterfeit, or adulterated pesticides.

 

This proportionate enforcement framework will reduce litigation, support compliant units, and enable stronger action against deliberate violators.

 

“Looking at the need for new pesticides, an earlier draft (2008) recognised the necessity of regulatory data protection for five years. In the present draft regulatory data protection is missing. The ACFI urges the government to introduce and implement regulatory data protection to encourage the industry to invest in new molecules which are off patent,” Goswami said.

 

Timeline

 

2000–01: Parliamentary panel recommends revising the 1968 Insecticides Act.

 

2008–09: First PMB introduced and examined; never passed.

 

2017–18: New draft released; stakeholder consultations held.

 

2019–20: Revised Bill approved by Cabinet (Feb 2020), introduced in Rajya Sabha (Mar 2020).

 

2021: Referred to Standing Committee; report issued Dec 2021.

 

2026: Centre releases fresh draft bill; comments by february 4, 2026