Farmers unhappy over the new Pesticides Management Bill

The Pesticides Management Bill (PMB) 2020, introduced in the Rajya Sabha on 23 March to replace The Insecticides Act, 1968, has kicked up a major controversy. Farmer groups, backed by the pesticides industry, fear that it may have a far-reaching impact on Indian agriculture and the famers’ livelihood, if it is passed in the current form. There is a demand that it should be referred to a select committee of Parliament for vetting.

The Insecticides Act, 1968, governs the registration, manufacturing, export, sale and use of pesticides in India, which is now sought to be overhauled. The new bill proposes to promote the production and distribution of safe and effective pesticides and reduce crop losses due to the use of spurious and substandard products. The bill also aims to assess the potential effects of these products on the health of people and the environment. The government believes that the new law will play a decisive role in restricting the production and sale of substandard and counterfeit products.

Once the bill has been passed, any individual or body wishing to import, manufacture, or export pesticides will have to be registered under the new law. The individual/body must also provide all details on any claims by the manufacturer, expected performance, efficacy, usage instructions, safety, infrastructure required to stock the pesticide and potential effects of the product on the environment. Besides, advertisements for pesticides will also be regulated, to prevent misleading claims on the part of the manufacturers and to avoid confusion among farmers.

Manufacturers who violate the law will be subject to a heavy penalty, in addition to an imprisonment of up to five years. At a time when the farming community in North India is up in arms against the new agri-marketing laws, the controversy could open another front against the Modi government, unless it is quickly defused.

Pesticides have helped farmers safeguard crops against a plethora of pest attacks. Some pest attacks occur on a mass scale, such as the recent locust swarm invasion. Had farmers not used pesticides in time, their crops could have been devastated, jeopardising their income. Under PMB, farmers will also have to obtain a prescription before they can buy certain pesticides, which could pose an obstacle in the timely procurement of pesticides. The domestic pesticides industry has also jumped into the fray, arguing that it has the potential to hurt investments. 

Industry experts say that PMB should be devised in such a manner as to allow Indian entities to manufacture and export these pesticides, which would help generate employment opportunities and earn foreign exchange. In its present form, PMB would not allow the manufacture and export of pesticides not registered for use in India, even if these are approved in other countries.

PMB does not reflect the government’s repeated emphasis on the need for doubling farmer’s income by 2022, feels Krishan Bir Singh Chaudhary, president, Bharat Krishak Samaj, a farmers’ forum. “The demands presented by the Ashok Dalwai Committee, constituted in 2018 to promote domestic and indigenous industries and agricultural exports from India, are missing from PMB, 2020,” says he. “In fact, the committee had recommended reduction in import and dependence on imported formulations. The present PMB, however, will increase the import of formulations and will damage the export of agro-chemicals”.

No scientific evaluation

According to Chaudhary, Emamectin Benzoate used in cotton farming was initially imported and sold for Rs10,000 per kg. “Three years later, the same product was made by domestic companies, and sold at Rs3,500 per kg. So, if the imported formulations are to be encouraged then how will a farmer survive,” he asks.

One of the provisions in the bill gives powers to Registration Committee (RC) to subjectively review registration of a pesticide and then suspend, cancel or even ban its usage. “This would be done without any scientific evaluation,” says Ajit Kumar, chairman (technical committee), Crop Care Federation of India, the pesticides industry body. He calls for an independent regulator to oversee the RC’s decisions.

“Such scenarios can disrupt Indian farmers’ functioning and productivity,” adds Kumar. “The well-being of India’s farmers and its food security goal is inextricably linked to the timely use of crop protection products. PMB needs to consider these issues and review certain provisions that will impact the availability and accessibility of pesticides. This is imperative, if India seeks to be Atmanirbhar (self-reliant) as a credible manufacturer and supplier of pesticides to the world, while promoting food security objectives and generating employment opportunities for its people”.