India’s new Pesticide Management Bill makes no reference to data exclusivity for new crop protection products, but it must do so in order to encourage research and development and curb the menace of spurious pesticides, according to an article in 印度快报。
“It is necessary that the proposed law incorporates regulatory data protection provisions, with an exclusivity period of not less than 10 years, in line with globally accepted standards,” writes K C Ravi, vice-president (Business Sustainability), South Asia, at Syngenta India.
“Most of the agro-chemical products in India, which have significantly helped reduce produce losses from pest and disease attacks, owe their introduction to the R&D based crop sciences industry. These companies have been at the forefront of innovation, contributing to the first-time introduction of more than 90 percent of crop protection products in use today. Such products have enabled us to tackle virtual national crop emergencies – whether it is control of phalaris minor weed in wheat, heliothis armigera bollworm in cotton or brown planthopper insect pest in rice,” Ravi says.