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Public Input Sought on New Pesticides Bill 2025 for Farmer Welfare

The Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has invited public suggestions on the draft Pesticides Management Bill, 2025, which aims to replace the outdated Insecticides Act of 1968. The farmer-centric bill focuses on ensuring the supply of quality pesticides, introducing digital transparency, and decriminalizing minor offences. It proposes stricter penalties for spurious pesticides while streamlining processes to balance ease of living and ease of doing business. The deadline for submitting feedback is February 4, 2026.

Key Points: Public Suggestions Invited for Draft Pesticides Management Bill 2025

  • Replaces 1968 Insecticides Act
  • Ensures quality pesticide supply
  • Decriminalizes petty offences
  • Uses tech for transparency
2 min read

Centre invites suggestions from public on new Pesticides Bill

Govt seeks public feedback on new Pesticides Bill to ensure quality, decriminalize petty offences, and promote ease of living for farmers.

"farmer-centric legislation with several salient features - Official Statement"

New Delhi, Jan 7

The Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare on Wednesday invited suggestions from stakeholders and the general public for its new draft Pesticides Management Bill, 2025, which aims to ensure the supply of quality pesticides for farmers and decriminalise petty offences, thereby promoting ease of living as well as ease of doing business.

The fresh draft Pesticides Management Bill, 2025 prepared in alignment with current requirements. It is intended to replace the present Insecticides Act, 1968 and the Insecticides Rules, 1971, according to an official statement.

The draft Pesticides Management Bill, 2025, is a farmer-centric legislation with several salient features. The revised Bill incorporates provisions such as transparency and traceability to ensure better services to farmers, thereby promoting ease of living. It includes reform-oriented measures, including the use of technology and digital methods for streamlining processes, along with stricter control over spurious pesticides through higher penalties.

Provisions have also been made for compounding of offences, with enhanced penalties to act as a deterrent, to be defined by State-level authorities.

Further, amendments have been introduced to strengthen administrative control and management of pesticides, striking a balance between ease of life and ease of doing business. This bill also provides for mandatory accreditation of testing laboratories, ensuring that only quality pesticides are available to farmers.

The Government has fixed February 4, 2026, as the last date for the submission of suggestions on the Bill. The government will take all the comments or suggestions into consideration while finalising the draft bill. However, these suggestions have to be received before the February 4 deadline in the fixed format, the statement added.

As part of the pre-legislative consultation process, the draft Pesticides Management Bill, 2025 and the prescribed format are available on the Ministry's website: https://agriwelfare.gov.in.

"Comments and suggestions on the draft bill and its provisions are invited from all stakeholders and the general public. The comments/suggestions may be sent by email to pp1.pesticides[at]gov[dot]in rajbir.yadava[at]gov[dot]in/ jyoti.uttam[at]gov[dot]in in MS Word or PDF format as early as possible but latest by February 4, 2026," the statement said.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Good to see public consultation. My father is a farmer in Punjab. The biggest issue is adulterated pesticides sold in local markets. Mandatory lab accreditation is key. But will small farmers have access to these certified products at affordable prices? That's the real question.
A
Aman W
"Ease of doing business" should not come at the cost of "ease of safe farming". While decriminalising petty offences is fine, we must ensure companies don't get a free pass. The health of our soil and farmers is paramount. Hope the final bill reflects this balance. 🙏
S
Sarah B
Transparency and traceability using tech is the way forward. This could really help in holding the supply chain accountable. I hope the digital system is user-friendly for farmers with limited tech access. The Feb 2026 deadline gives enough time for proper feedback.
V
Vikram M
A respectful criticism: The draft mentions "State-level authorities" for penalties. This could lead to inconsistency. One state may be strict, another lax. Centre should provide a strong, uniform framework. Otherwise, spurious manufacturers will just move to lenient states. The intent is good, but execution details matter.
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Nisha Z
Finally! This is long overdue. My uncle lost an entire season's yield to counterfeit pesticide. The compensation process was a nightmare. Hope this bill has clear grievance redressal for farmers. Will definitely go through the draft and send suggestions. Jai Kisan! 🌾

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