Draft Pesticides Management Bill, 2025: Govt Invites Public Feedback to Ensure Quality Pesticides, Protect Farmers and Ease Compliance
As part of the pre-legislative consultation process, the draft Pesticides Management Bill, 2025 and the prescribed format for submitting comments have been made available on the ministry’s website.
New Delhi, January 8: The Union government has invited public comments and suggestions on the Draft Pesticides Management Bill, 2025, a proposed legislation aimed at modernising pesticide regulation and ensuring the supply of quality pesticides to farmers while promoting ease of living and ease of doing business.
The draft bill has been prepared by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, and is intended to replace the Insecticides Act, 1968 and the Insecticides Rules, 1971.
According to the ministry, the Draft Pesticides Management Bill, 2025 is a farmer-centric legislation aligned with current regulatory and technological requirements. It introduces provisions for greater transparency and traceability in the pesticide supply chain to improve service delivery to farmers and enhance ease of living.
The bill incorporates reform-oriented measures, including the use of digital tools and technology-enabled processes to streamline regulatory procedures. It also proposes stricter controls on spurious and substandard pesticides through higher penalties, along with provisions for compounding of offences. Enhanced penalties, to be defined by state-level authorities, are intended to act as effective deterrents while decriminalising minor and technical offences.
Further amendments seek to strengthen administrative control and management of pesticides, striking a balance between farmer protection and ease of doing business for manufacturers and distributors. A key provision in the draft bill is the mandatory accreditation of pesticide testing laboratories, ensuring that only quality-tested and compliant products reach farmers.
As part of the pre-legislative consultation process, the draft Pesticides Management Bill, 2025 and the prescribed format for submitting comments have been made available on the ministry’s website. Stakeholders, industry representatives, experts and members of the general public are invited to submit their suggestions in MS Word or PDF format by February 4, 2026.
The government has stated that all comments and suggestions received within the stipulated period will be examined and considered before finalising the draft legislation, reinforcing a consultative and participatory approach to agricultural policy reform.
