Lok Sabha Question No. 964 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-11-22
Subject: Spurious Pesticides
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: AJAY NISHAD

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK  SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 964

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 22 ND  NOVEMBER, 2016

## SPURIOUS PESTICIDES

964. SHRI AJAY NISHAD:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has received any complaints from the Agriculture chemical policy group regarding losses to crops due to the use of spurious sub-standard pesticides if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the action taken by the Government in this regard against the importers/producers/sellers of such pesticides;
- (c) whether  import  of  pesticides  has  registered  an  increasing  to  trend  in  the  country  and  if  so,  the reasons therefor;
- (d) whether  the  use  of  domestic  pesticides  has  been  adversely  affected  as  a  result  thereof;  and
- (e) if so, the steps taken by the Government to check import of pesticides and to promote the production of genuine/standard pesticides in the country?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंालय म राय मंी (SHRI PARSHOTTAM RUPALA)

- (a): Directorate  of  Plant,  Protection,  Quarantine  and  Storage  has  informed  that  no  complaint has been received from the Agriculture chemical policy group regarding losses to crops due to use of spurious sub-standard.
- (b): A  task  force  has  been  created  in  Techno-Legal  Cell  of  Directorate  of  Plant,  Protection, Quarantine  and  Storage,  Faridabad.  The  task  force  conducts  raids/inspection  throughout  the country  on  specific  complaints  received  from  various  sources.  At  present,  168  officers  of Directorate have been notified as Central Insecticide Inspectors and have been instructed to draw samples of chemical pesticides and Bio-products/ Bio-pesticides from various states of the country from their allotted areas. Raids have been conducted in the manufacturing premises and market located in various states to check the veracity of the complaints and drawl of pesticides samples for checking their quality.

In  addition  to  this,  11,099  Inspectors  have  also  been  notified  by  the  State  Governments  to check the quality of pesticides, distributed/sold to the farmers. Action against those firms/individuals are taken as per the provisions of The Insecticides Act., 1968 and Rules framed thereunder,  which  are  found  to  be  involved  in  manufacturing  /  selling  of  substandard/spurious pesticides.

- (c): The Import of Pesticide increased during 2014-15 where as the Import decreased during 2015-16 in comparison to 2013-14.  The trend of increasing and decreasing of Import is due to demand of Pesticides.
- (d): No, the production of the domestic Pesticides  increased during last three years.
- (e): The Guidelines for the Indigenous manufacturing of pesticides have been made easy and simple to promote the Local Manufacturers under the scheme 'Make In India'.

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