CropLife India Flags Narrowing Crop Protection Options for Farmers
18 September 2026, New Delhi: CropLife India has called for a review of the regulatory framework governing crop protection products, warning that restrictions on existing solutions without the introduction of better alternatives could further narrow the options available to Indian farmers.
Indian farmers currently have access to about 380 crop protection active ingredients, compared with around 1,200 active ingredients available globally, according to CropLife India.
The organisation has proposed a five-year Regulatory Data Protection (RDP) regime for data generated as part of the registration of new crop protection products. It said such protection could encourage companies to invest in the introduction of newer technologies and expand the range of solutions available to farmers.
CropLife India said decisions to restrict existing molecules should be based on established scientific literature, including safety, health and efficacy data under relevant conditions, while also considering the implications for farmers.
“Factors such as El Nino, and climate change are making pest pressures even more dynamic and troublesome for farmers. Therefore, there is a pressing need to install a robust framework that allows entry of better science, innovation and technology backed products, which can help farmers to address these evolving pest dynamics,” said Rahul Dhanuka, Managing Director, Dhanuka Agritech Ltd.
“RDP will optimise the current registration process, allow entry of better technology and result in evidence-based phasing out,” he added.
CropLife India Seeks Five-Year Regulatory Data Protection
Under its proposal, CropLife India is seeking five years of protection for regulatory data that companies are required to generate to register new products in India.
The organisation said protecting investments in regulatory data, including studies on safety, health and efficacy under Indian conditions, could incentivise companies to introduce new products and technologies more quickly.
CropLife India said the absence of such protection can discourage investment because of concerns around regulatory data being copied or used unfairly. It argued that an RDP framework would also bring India’s regulatory system closer to practices followed in other major agricultural markets.
China, Indonesia and Malaysia provide up to six years of protection, according to CropLife India, while the United States, European Union, Canada, Thailand, Brazil and Colombia provide up to 10 years. Australia, Taiwan and the Philippines provide up to eight years.
Mohan Babu Boppana, Vice Chairman of CropLife India and COO of Bayer CropScience Ltd., said a time-bound RDP regime has globally been used to foster innovation and competition.
“The EU, for instance, provides up to 13 years of protection just to incentivise registration of green molecules. Indian can benefit from harmonising its own framework with best global practice, expand the choice basket for the farmer, reduce reliance on a narrow set of options. It will also help the Indian crop protection industry to move up the global value chain,” he said.
“RDP will be a win-win for farmers that get better solutions, for the government as it helps the country to produce more food safely, and the industry as it gets incentivised to constantly bring new technology for the farmer.”
Boppana also highlighted the potential role of newer molecules, including green molecules.
“New molecules, including green molecules that the industry can bring, are more selective in action, they protect unintended damage to flora and fauna, require much lower doses of application. Therefore, they would be more economical for the farmer and much safer for the environment,” he said.
Pest Pressure Adds to the Need for More Options
CropLife India said Indian farmers lose about 10–35% of crops annually due to pests and diseases, amounting to about INR 2 lakh crore annually.
The organisation said the combination of evolving pest pressures, climate change and the relatively narrow range of active ingredients available to Indian farmers makes it important to maintain a pipeline of newer crop protection technologies.
“There is a need for a holistic framework to refresh and expand the crop protection solutions available to Indian farmers, backed by robust, science-based regulatory guardrails. A time-bound Regulatory Data Protection framework can help incentivise the introduction of newer and improved technologies, enabling farmers to better protect their crops from pest-related losses, strengthen farm productivity and incomes, and contribute to India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 ambitions,” said Giridhar Ranuva, Business Director, BASF Agricultural Solutions, India.
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