India’s Registration Committee Investigates Biostimulants
24 January 2017 The 371st Meeting of Registration Committee (RC) was held under the Chairmanship of Dr. J.S. Sandhu, Deputy Director General (Crops Science) & Chairman of RC. The committee considered a number of issues including how plant health products are viewed in the country.
It was presented and explained that how biostimulants are different from pesticides or PGR through their Mode of Action. It was pointed out that due to absence of Regulatory System to control these biostimulants, the following problems are created and could negatively affect farmers:
1. Biostimulant products are mixed with unregistered pesticides to make it more bioefficacious.
2. Promoted by unscrupulous dealers as Bio Products, as they get high margins on such products
3. Can contain toxic impurities of the active ingredient whose safety profile are not established
4. Manufactured by companies with dubious credibility.
5. No registration by the Central Insecticide Board & Registration Committee
6. Operate pretending that they are not covered under the Insecticides Act 1968.
The presentation and ground realities explained by Dr. Sudhir kumar Bhargawa was deliberated in detail and it was decided that the Department of Agriculture Cooperation & Farmers Welfare and the government of India may be requested to include biostimulants under the Insecticides Act 1968 or to place them in the domain of Pesticides Management Bill 2008 to save the farmers from unscrupulous suppliers. Dr. Bhargawa was requested to submit a detailed formal proposal in this regard.
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