Indian Govt to roll out regulatory guidelines for biostimulants

“Framing of rules is in final stages. As per the proposed guidelines, biostimulants will have to be first registered with Indian government and have to prove efficacy before hitting in the market. Proper labelling will have to be done including name of manufacturers, ingredients and expiry date,” said a senior agriculture ministry official.

The Indian government will announce guidelines to regulate the Rs 1,500 crore （US$ 200 million) market of biostimulants that promise farmers higher yields, quality and other benefits from the use of various compounds and micro organisms.

Unlike fertilizers and pesticides, these products are not regulated and are sold without a certification of their efficacy, officials said. The government will set up a regulatory body for such products, officials said.

“Framing of rules is in final stages. As per the proposed guidelines, biostimulants will have to be first registered with government and have to prove efficacy before hitting in the market. Proper labelling will have to be done including name of manufacturers, ingredients and expiry date,” said a senior agriculture ministry official.

He said the need for a regulatory body has arisen as many companies have started manufacturing biostimulants without any authentic formulation.

“Farmers are getting cheated as there is no authority to authenticate the efficacy of the growth stimulants. The regulatory body will ensure farmers get genuine products which help in improving yield per hectare,” he said.

The biostimulant industry is highly unorganised with small players crowding the space. With rising demand for organic food products, the demand for organic farming will increase, which in turn will boost demand for biostimulants.

“Once the industry gets regulated, all non-descript players will vanish and only those with authentic formulations will remain in the market. No biostimulant shall contain any pesticides beyond a permissible limit of 0.01ppm,” he said.

The government tabled Pesticide Management Bill in Lok Sabha with an aim to regulate the manufacture, import, sale, storage, distribution, use and disposal of pesticides to ensure the availability of safe pesticides and minimise the risk to humans, animals and environment.