Proposing a major overhaul of India’s pesticide regulation framework, the Centre has released a fresh draft of the Pesticides Management Bill, 2025 for public consultation. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said the draft law intends to replace the Insecticides Act, 1968 and the Insecticides Rules, 1971, as they no longer meet current regulatory, safety and governance requirements.
The draft Bill seeks to bring the entire lifecycle of pesticides under a single, centralised regulatory framework, covering the entire gamut of activities from manufacture, import, labelling, sale, transport, use and disposal. It declares pesticide regulation to be a matter of Union control, signalling a shift away from the fragmented regulatory system that has evolved over decades.
At the heart of the proposed framework is a two-tier institutional structure. A Central Pesticides Board is envisaged as an advisory body on scientific and technical matters, while a Registration Committee would act as the executive authority responsible for granting, reviewing, suspending or cancelling pesticide registrations. Under the draft, no pesticide would be permitted to be manufactured or imported without prior registration. This will help curb fake pesticides.
The demands for a new law have been made in the past as indiscriminate use of pesticides harm both the farmers and the consumers. The government says the new bill aims to help both farming community and the industry.
The government has described the draft Pesticides Management Bill, 2025 as farmer-centric, with provisions aimed at improving transparency and traceability in the pesticide supply chain. The draft relies heavily on technology, mandating digital processes for registration, licensing, inspections and record-keeping, with the stated objective of streamlining procedures and improving service delivery to farmers.
A key feature of the draft is time-bound decision-making on registrations. The Registration Committee is required to decide applications within 12 months, extendable to 18 months. In the case of generic pesticides, approval would be deemed to have been granted if no decision is taken within the prescribed period, a provision intended to reduce regulatory delays and promote competition.
The draft also proposes stricter controls on spurious and substandard pesticides. It provides for higher penalties to act as a deterrent, along with provisions for compounding of certain offences. State-level authorities would be empowered to define penalty structures within the framework of the law. Mandatory accreditation of pesticide testing laboratories has been proposed to ensure that only quality-certified products are made available to farmers.
Enforcement powers under the draft Bill are expanded. Inspectors would be authorised to enter premises, seize stock, halt sales and draw samples for laboratory testing. Registrations could be reviewed at any stage and suspended or cancelled if new evidence points to risks to human health, animals or the environment. Once cancelled, a pesticide molecule would be treated as banned nationwide.
The draft also seeks to strengthen administrative control over pesticide management, with officials stating that the intent is to strike a balance between ease of life for farmers and ease of doing business for industry. Provisions have also been included to promote biological pesticides, traditional knowledge-based products and integrated pest management practices.
