An industry body of pesticide manufacturers has urged the Union Agriculture Secretary to bring in targeted changes in the draft Pesticides Management Bill to ensure farmers get faster access to effective crop protection technologies.
This comes even as Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in Lucknow on Friday (April 24, 2026) that the Union government will bring an amended Seeds and Pesticide Management Bill in the upcoming session of Parliament.
PRD framework
CropLife India, the industrial body of pesticide and crop protection chemicals manufacturers, also called for inclusion of time-bound Protection of Regulatory Data (PRD) framework for new molecules and new uses. In its recommendations to the Ministry on the proposed law, the body said the current draft does not address the policy gap contributing to this innovation lag.
“When farmers remain dependent on older chemistries for too long, resistance builds faster, spray intensity rises, and it becomes harder to meet tightening residue expectations in domestic and export markets,” a statement by CropLife India said adding that newer crop protection technologies are more targeted, lower-dose and better aligned to evolving pest pressures, yet their introduction in India is often delayed.
They said bringing a new molecule or new use to India requires major investment in safety, efficacy, residue and environmental data. “Without a clear framework governing how that data is used, there is limited incentive to introduce newer technologies early in the Indian market. The association has therefore proposed a limited, time-bound PRD framework of about five years from first registration, which would create a more predictable pathway for newer solutions to reach farmers faster, while allowing competition through independent data generation,” the statement added.
Pressure on exports
The statement added that the stricter residue norms in markets such as the European Union are already pressuring Indian exports. “Industry bodies in Assam have flagged that nearly 40 million kilograms of premium tea exports to Europe and the U.K. are exposed to tighter residue requirements,” they said.
Ankur Aggarwal, chairman, CropLife India, said farmers today are dealing with more erratic pest pressures in the field. “The final law must keep regulation science-based and time-bound, act firmly against illegal trade, and create a credible pathway for newer, safer and more effective crop protection technologies to reach farmers faster,” he said.
Published - April 24, 2026 09:42 pm IST