Pesticides industry body CropLife asks Centre to check unregulated online sales
The ₹66,000 crore pesticide industry on Wednesday called for a loophole-free Pesticides Management Bill, 2025, specifically to prevent the sale of counterfeit products online.
The appeal comes amid conflicting estimates regarding the scale of the fake pesticide market, with valuations ranging from ₹250 crore to over ₹5,000 crore.
Briefing the media about the consequences of pesticides currently sold over online platforms, industry body CropLife India’s chairman Ankur Aggarwal said that the government should have explicit provisions in the draft Bill as well as in the Rules (when framed) to regulate online sales amid concerns over authenticity and traceability of the pesticides sold online.
Pointing out that that basic compliance checks are insufficient now as mandatory authorisation certificates are required for sellers to sell any pesticides online and the platforms are not enforcing it, he clarified that the industry does not want any restriction.
Rising digitisation
“As digitisation is increasing in India, the usage of these platforms will grow. Pesticide is a regulated industry, and the entire supply chain should follow the regulatory framework,” Aggarwal said.
Pointing out that pesticides are being sold online through both marketplace and inventory-based e-commerce models, CropLife India said that pesticides are stored, handled and dispatched from warehouses that are not licensed under the Insecticides Rules under the inventory-based models, whereas identical activities require licensing in the offline supply chain.
“This weakens regulatory oversight and makes inspection, sampling and traceability significantly more difficult,” the association said in a statement.
Aggarwal said: “We are not against the sale of pesticides on e-commerce platforms. This engagement is about ensuring that regulatory and enforcement frameworks evolve with the realities of digital commerce. 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.” There is need to address existing gaps effectively, he said.
Notice to e-coms
On the financial benefit the industry would get if such online sales are checked, Aggarwal said it may add less than 1 per cent to the current domestic turnover of ₹26,000 crore. He said: “It’s more than the financial aspect. We are dealing with responsible chemicals, and there should be end-to-end traceability so that fake products do not reach farmers is what the entire pesticide industry wants.”
He said that companies have issued legal notices to e-commerce platforms over unauthorised sales and some have filed lawsuits, too. In some cases, courts have directed platforms to remove listings of those products.
India’s pesticide exports are estimated at ₹40,000 crore, he said and hoped the industry would grow at 8-9 per cent at least for next 10 years.
Published on January 21, 2026
