PMFAI Urges PMO Against Five-Year Regulatory Data Protection for Agrochemicals in India

22 September 2026, Mumbai: The Pesticides Manufacturers & Formulators Association of India (PMFAI) has urged the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to reconsider proposals seeking five-year Regulatory Data Protection (RDP) or data exclusivity for agrochemicals in India, arguing that such provisions could delay the entry of generic crop protection products and affect competition in the domestic market.

The representation was submitted by Pradip Dave, President, Pesticides Manufacturers & Formulators Association of India (PMFAI), and addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Copies of the representation were also sent to Dr. P.K. Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister and Chairman, NITI Aayog, and Anurag Jain, CEO, NITI Aayog. 

In its representation, PMFAI said the demand for five-year Regulatory Data Protection for agrochemicals has been raised by multinational companies and importers. The association said it has taken up the matter with the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and other concerned ministries. 

PMFAI further stated that the issue of Regulatory Data Protection for agrochemicals has been examined by multiple ministries over the past 16 years and claimed that previous reviews have recommended against introducing such provisions in India.

The association specifically referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food Processing, which examined stakeholder suggestions after the 36th report on the Pesticide Management Bill (PMB) was submitted in December 2021. PMFAI cited the committee’s view that the existing 20-year patent period provides sufficient time for innovators to recover investments related to the discovery or introduction of new molecules. It also referred to the committee’s observation that India’s large and growing agrochemical market could attract new molecules from foreign as well as domestic companies without a separate data-protection provision.

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