Indian illegal pesticide sale may cross Rs 2,000-cr mark this year

The domestic crop protection industry estimates that sale of illegal pesticides may cross Rs 2,000 crore mark this fiscal.

"Growth of the Rs 8,000-crore domestic pesticide market is being stymied by rampant sale of illegal products. The industry estimates sale of illegal pesticides may cross Rs 2,000 crore mark in the current financial year,” Crop Life India, an association of technology-driven agri companies, said in a statement here.

Counterfeit pesticides consist mainly of illegal imports with questionable potency and impurities and the so-called bio-products laced with chemical insecticides, the release said.

"Around Rs 1,600 crore worth illegal pesticides were sold in the country last fiscal. Of this over Rs 500 crore was accounted for by ‘bio-products’ which as per current norms need no registration,” Crop Life India CEO & Director Mr PK Mazumdar said.

Crop Life has already set up an anti-counterfeiting taskforce aimed at curbing the menace of illegal products. In response to complaints made by the industry, the Andhra agriculture department had initiated action against 309 bogus companies this July.

Crop Life International’s anti-counterfeiting director, Mr D’ Arcy Quinn, is advising Crop Life India and the anti-counterfeiting taskforce, which will work especially closely with Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka as these states together account for 65 percent of counterfeit pesticides sold in the country.

The Indian Insecticides Act of 1968 restricts the sale of only 875 products as pesticides. However, a new act, Pesticide Management Bill, 2010, is awaiting Parliamentary approval.