Indian farmers are charged exorbitant pesticide price due to illegal registrations and rules

Farmers are looted from the year 2007 to till this date of more than Rs.12,000 crores by illegal imports of readymade pesticide formulations without registering its technical grade pesticide (active ingredient) which is against the central Insecticides Act, 1968 and the Rules framed thereunder. Pesticides Manufacturers & Formulators Association of India (PMFAI) filed a case in this regard and obtained stay order against granting "deemed registration". Prime Minister's Office and Ministry of Agriculture is keeping silence on the subject.

 

This gives total monopoly to importers, mainly multinationals, to charge exorbitant prices from farmers for the pesticides imported, restricting Indian pesticide manufacturers to manufacture and supply these products to farmers locally. This is totally against the policy of our Prime Minister of "Make in India" and "Made in India", stated PMFAI.

 

While the Government of India under the leadership of Hon'ble Prime Minister is trying to promote "Make in India" and "Made in India", the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture and Central Insecticides Board & Registration Committee (CIB&RC) is encouraging "Imports of Pesticide Formulations without registering its Technical Grade Pesticides", which are kept under "deemed registration" status for 3 years.  Even after the completion of 3 years period of "deemed registration", the Indian companies are not able to register and use the Technical Grade Pesticides due to the faulty registration system followed by the CIB&RC for the benefits of multi-national companies, who use malpractices to achieve their aims to block technical registration to Indian industries. The importers who required to complete registration of technical within 3 years, does not complete the registration requirements and continue to enjoy the monopoly by marketing of the product and farmers are made scapegoat in the process.

 

Till the year 2007 as per the requirements under Insecticides Act, 1968 and Insecticides Rules, 1971 all registrants were required to first register the Technical Grade Pesticides followed by Formulations. But from the year 2007 due to the influence of some of the multinational companies and importers, the CIB&RC under Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture adopted new guidelines for granting registration for imports of readymade pesticide formulations without registering its technical grade pesticides in spite of strong opposition from industry associations representing Indian Pesticide industry.

 

All over the world no major agriculture nations like U.S.A., Europe, Australia, Brazil, China and others, does not allows registration of Formulation without registering its Technical Grade Pesticide.  This is because when readymade pesticide formulations are allowed to be registered for imports, source of technical grade pesticide used in the formulation and its purity levels are unknown, it can be from any under-developed country where there are no proper registration and regulatory system is followed. This can also lead to imports of sub-standard and spurious products which could expose our agriculture, farmers and environment to great danger.

 

In view of the above reasons and being aggrieved by the faulty registration followed by the Government, PMFAI was compelled to file a case against Union of India, Ministry of Agriculture and CIB&RC at Gujarat High Court to stop this faulty registration system allowing imports of readymade pesticide formulations.

 

Hon'ble Gujarat High Court in its Order, dated 5th September, 2013 passed in the case (Special Civil Application No.2530 of 2011), given directions to the Ministry of Agriculture and the CIB&RC which clearly stated that the procedure evolved by the Registration Committee for grant of "deemed registration" cannot be sustained and therefore no further deemed registration may be granted till the matters are finally heard and proper guidelines are issued by the Government of India. The Hon'ble High Court also given directions that the guidelines may be made more transparent as well as more effective so as to provide equal treatment to the indigenous manufacturers as well as the importers who are importing such pesticides manufactured outside India.

 

In spite of above orders of the High Court, the Registration Committee of Central Insecticides Board misinterpreting the directions continue issuing registrations for imports of readymade pesticide formulations without registering its technical grade pesticides at all.

 

PMFAI have taken up the matter with various Government departments and has been continuously appealing to Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture; Central Insecticides Board & Registration Committee; Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers and the Prime Minister's Office. In spite of consistent efforts, there are no positive action from the Government due to which Indian Farmers & Indian Pesticide Industry is continue suffering due to the reasons narrated above.