Govt bats for stronger quality assurance, traceability of online sale of pesticides
P K Singh, Agriculture Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, emphasised the need for stronger quality assurance, traceability, and supply-chain accountability, adding that these issues merit consideration under the Pesticides Management Bill, 2025
The Centre on Wednesday said the responsibility for quality, compliance, and farmers' safety with regard to online sale of pesticides must be shared by e-commerce platforms and manufacturers as these sales grow.
It also said basic compliance checks by the e-commerce platforms, such as GST documents of sellers, may not be sufficient when hazardous agri-inputs are sold online.
Addressing a press conference here, P K Singh, Agriculture Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, emphasised the need for stronger quality assurance, traceability, and supply-chain accountability, adding that these issues merit consideration under the Pesticides Management Bill, 2025.
"Basic compliance checks by e-commerce platforms, such as GST documents of sellers, may not be sufficient when hazardous products are sold online. We need to know the source of procurement and the quality standards maintained by the sellers," he added.
Subhash Chand, Secretary, Central Insecticide Board and Registration Committee(CIB&RC), observed that while digitisation and e-commerce are expanding rapidly in rural India, they are also bringing new risks.
"Pesticides are hazardous products, and the responsibility for quality, compliance, and farmer safety must be shared by platforms and manufacturers as online sales grow. There is a need for better cataloguing, advisory details, and traceability to help farmers identify genuine products and reduce the risk of spurious inputs," he said.
The officials were speaking at the National Conference on Crop Protection Products Sale on E-Commerce Platforms, organized by CropLife India.
"There has been an increase in the sale of pesticides on such virtual platforms. We have seen a disturbing trend where we are concerned about the off-label usage of certain pesticides. Most of the time, there is no traceability of sellers or places from where the chemicals are procured," Ankur Agarwal, chairman, CropLife India, said at the event.
"Stewardship and usage of pesticides bought through the dot com players are also a concerning factor. Having said that, there is no intention to create hurdles for farmers and consumers. We are primarily looking at ensuring quality and traceability of all pesticides sold on Amazon, Flipkart, or other such platforms," he added.
Another crucial issue raised by Agarwal is to curb the sale of counterfeit products on such platforms.
"Tackling unauthorised products remains a shared priority for policymakers and the crop protection industry, and is critical for farmer safety, food security, and consumer trust. For us, even one bottle ofthe wrong pesticide is a concern as it may lead to serious health hazards or environmental degradation. We wish to carve a middle path where the government, e-commerce platforms, farmers, and other consumers stand to gain from the arrangement," he added.
CropLife India is an industry association of 17 leading crop protection companies, representing 70% of the market and 95% of molecules introduced in India.
Agarwal said his organisation will approach the government with a list of suggestions to incorporate in the draft Pesticide Management Bill so that the virtual business models are held more accountable for their trade practices.
Crop protection products are regulated under the Insecticides Act, 1968, which establishes a tightly controlled system for sale and distribution. Under this framework, pesticides can only be sold by licensed sellers, for specific products endorsed on their licence, within approved geographic areas, and supported by a valid and subsisting certificate issued by the manufacturer or importer.
Aggarwal reiterated that while the Draft Pesticides Management Bill, 2025, seeks to strengthen India’s pesticide regulatory framework, it does not explicitly address several critical e-commerce-specific gaps, including platform-level accountability, licensing obligations in inventory-based models, and digital traceability across online supply chains.
