The central government has invited comments and suggestions from stakeholders and the general public on the Draft Pesticides Management Bill 2025, a proposed legislation intended to replace the Insecticides Act 1968 and the Insecticides Rules 1971.
Prepared by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the draft bill has been aligned with present day agricultural, regulatory and technological requirements. The proposed law aims to ensure the availability of quality pesticides to farmers while promoting ease of living and ease of doing business through regulatory reforms.
The draft Pesticides Management Bill 2025 is designed as a farmer centric legislation and introduces several reform oriented measures. It incorporates provisions for transparency and traceability to improve service delivery to farmers, along with the use of digital and technology driven processes to streamline regulatory mechanisms. The bill also proposes stricter control over spurious and substandard pesticides through enhanced penalties, while allowing for compounding of minor offences to decriminalise petty violations.
To strengthen oversight, the draft includes amendments to improve administrative control and pesticide management, seeking a balance between regulatory efficiency and business facilitation. A key feature of the proposed legislation is the provision for mandatory accreditation of pesticide testing laboratories to ensure that only quality products reach farmers.
As part of the pre legislative consultation process, the draft bill and the prescribed format for submitting feedback have been placed in the public domain on the ministry’s website. Stakeholders, including farmers, industry representatives, experts and citizens, have been invited to submit their comments and suggestions by 4 February 2026. Inputs received within the stipulated period will be examined and considered by the central government while finalising the bill.
The proposed legislation marks a significant step towards modernising pesticide regulation in the country, strengthening farmer protection and improving regulatory governance in the agriculture sector.
