Lok Sabha Question No. 2150 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-07-29
Subject: Sale of Low Quality Pesticides
Ministry: CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS
Asked by: Ramdas Chandrabhanji Tadas

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS DEPARTMENT OF FERTILIZERS

## LOK SABHA

## Sale of Low Quality Pesticides

2150: SHRI RAMDAS C. TADAS:

Will the Minister of CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS be pleased to state:

- (a)
- (b if so
- whether the farmers in Maharashtra and other states have demanded action against the  companies involved in short supply of fertilizers and of pesticides; selling
- (c) whether scale fertilize   companiesl   industries are being   promoted for disinvestment which would have an adverse effect on the medium   and small entrepreneurs; and

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS

## (SHRI BHAGWANTH KHUBA)

(a) & (b): The availability of fertilizers in the country during the ongoing Kharif 2022 season has remained comfortable. Further, as per the Insecticides Act 1968, the quality control of pesticides is primarily conducted by the States   being   licensing authority: Insecticide Inspectors appointed by the State Governments and Central Government under section 20 of Insecticides Act have been vested with powers to enter, search premises , seize documents, stop  distribution, sale or use of stock of  insecticides and take insecticide samples for analysis at State Pesticides Testing Laboratories to ensure that conditions of the Certificate of Registration or License and provisions of the Act are complied with. Insecticide Inspectors periodically inspects the manufacturer, distributors, dealers and retailers within the area of his jurisdiction to satisfy himself that the conditions of the license are complied with:.

At present 11080 officers of State Governments are notified as Insecticide Inspectors to check the quality of pesticides and its management. Insecticide samples are drawn and are analyzed in 70 State Pesticides Testing Laboratories established in 24 States and 3 UTs with a total annual capacity to test 77675 samples.

- the details thereof along with the action taken in this regard;
- (d) If so, the details thereof?

The Central Government supplements the resources of State/UT Governments in quality  control  testing of pesticides. At present; 191 Central Government  officers are notified as Central Insecticide Inspector and two Regional Pesticides Testing Laboratories at Chandigarh and Kanpur are established under the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine & Storage (DPPQ&S) with an annual testing capacity of 3100 samples In case of any dispute, samples are referred to Central Insecticides Laboratory (CIL), Faridabad constituted under section 16 of the Act, with an annual capacity of 1600 samples.

During the last 05 years (2017-18 to 2021-22), a total of 340479 samples have been analyzed and in 3639 cases, prosecution have been filed against firms who were found involved in the manufacture, sale and illegal import of sub-standardllow quality pesticides and in 137 cases the firms   have been convicted  by the Hon'ble Courts. (State wise information on quality control of pesticide for last 5 years is attached at (Annexure-I)

(c) & (d): No sir. There is no decision for disinvestment of large scale Fertilizer Company at present:

8

|    |     |    |    |     |    |    |    |     | 3   |    | 2     |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
|----|-----|----|----|-----|----|----|----|-----|-----|----|-------|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|
|    |     |    | 3  | g/8 | 8  |    |    |     |     | 8  |       |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
|    |     | 8  |    |     |    |    |    | 3/3 |     |    |       |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
| 8  |     |    |    |     |    |    |    |     |     |    | 1 2   |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
|    |     |    |    |     |    |    |    |     |     |    | 3 2   |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
| 1  |     |    | N  |     | 6  |    |    |     |     | 6  |       |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
|    |     |    |    |     |    |    |    | 3   |     | 2  |       |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
|    |     |    |    |     |    |    |    |     |     |    | 1     |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
| 1  |     |    |    |     |    |    |    |     | F   |    | 3 # 2 |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
|    |     |    |    |     |    |    |    |     |     | 8  |       |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
| 8  | 8 5 |    |    | 8   |    |    |    |     |     | 8  |       |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
|    |     |    |    |     |    | 6  |    |     |     |    |       |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
|    |     |    |    |     |    |    |    |     |     |    | 3 2   |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
|    | 8/6 |    | 6  | ~6  | 2  |    |    |     |     | 8  |       |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
|    | 8 6 |    |    |     |    |    |    |     |     |    |       |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
| ~  | 6   |    |    |     |    |    |    |     |     |    |       |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
|    |     |    |    | 83  |    |    |    |     |     |    | 2     | 2  | 2  | 2  | 2  | 2  | 2  | 2  | 2  | 2  | 2  |
|    |     |    |    |     |    |    | 3  |     |     |    | 3 2   | 8  | 8  | 8  | 8  | 8  | 8  | 8  | 8  | 8  |    |
|    |     | 8  |    |     |    |    |    |     |     |    |       |    | 1  |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
| 8  |     |    |    |     |    |    |    |     |     |    |       |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |

2 8 1 2 5" 1 4 3 1

|   8 | 8   |
|-----|-----|
|   2 |     |

<!-- image -->