Industry body flags concern over proposed pesticides Bill, Pg12

Key Highlights:

• CropLife India urged the Union Agriculture Secretary for targeted changes in the draft Pesticides Management Bill.
• The recommendations aim to ensure faster access to effective crop protection technologies for farmers.
• Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced an amended Seeds and Pesticide Management Bill in the upcoming Parliament session.
• CropLife India advocates for a time-bound Protection of Regulatory Data (PRD) framework for new molecules and uses.

Detailed Insights:

• The current draft of the Pesticides Management Bill does not address the policy gap that contributes to innovation lag in the sector.
• Delayed introduction of newer crop protection technologies leads to farmers relying on older chemistries, increasing resistance and spray intensity.
• Newer technologies are more targeted, lower-dose, and better aligned to evolving pest pressures, improving residue management.
• CropLife India proposes a limited, time-bound PRD framework of about five years from first registration to incentivize the introduction of newer technologies.
• A clear PRD framework would create a more predictable pathway for newer solutions to reach farmers faster while allowing competition through independent data generation.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Pesticides Management Bill: Proposed legislation to regulate the import, manufacture, sale, transport, distribution, and use of pesticides.
• Protection of Regulatory Data (PRD): A framework that grants exclusive rights to companies for their data submitted during the registration of new molecules.
• Crop Protection Technologies: Methods and tools used to protect crops from pests, diseases, and weeds, including pesticides and biological controls.