Data Protection to Bring Farmers Newer, Safer Chemistry and Strengthen Domestic Industry and Exports, Say Leading Indian Companies
New Delhi: India’s leading crop protection companies have jointly urged the Government of India to introduce Protection of Regulatory Data (PRD) in the proposed Pesticides Management Bill, stating that a time-bound data protection framework would benefit farmers while strengthening domestic manufacturing, innovation and exports.
In a joint statement, the companies highlighted that 10% to 35% of crops are damaged every year by pests, weeds and diseases, resulting in estimated losses of around ₹2 lakh crore. They noted that Indian farmers currently have access to only 380 molecules, compared with around 1,200 molecules available globally, while pest pressure continues to rise each season due to factors including climate change.
The five leading Indian companies — Crystal Crop Protection, Rallis India, Dhanuka Agritech, PI Industries and Godrej Agrovet — said that a time-bound PRD framework would provide the necessary incentive for the industry to continue introducing more effective, safer and low-dose technologies for farmers.
The companies pointed out that, in the absence of such protection, safety data generated for a new molecule by an innovating company can be copied and used by competitors for registration. According to the joint statement, this can discourage companies from investing in and introducing improved and advanced crop protection technologies.
Five-Year Protection Proposed
The companies said that a five-year data protection provision could enable innovators to recover part of the investment made in safety trials and development of new technologies. Once the protection period expires, the technology would become accessible to domestic generic manufacturers, including micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
They further stated that such a framework could strengthen the broader Indian crop protection industry by enabling domestic manufacturers to produce and export better technologies, supporting the Make-in-India mission. Most importantly, the companies said, farmers would gain access to improved technologies to address evolving pest pressures.
Global Precedent
The joint statement noted that several major agricultural markets, including the United States, Australia, China, Thailand, Brazil, South Korea and the European Union, provide regulatory data protection. According to the companies, these markets have advanced agricultural sectors and are also among India’s principal competitors in crop protection exports.
The statement was issued by Ankur Aggarwal, Chairman, CropLife India and Executive Chairman & Managing Director, Crystal Crop Protection Ltd; Dr. Gyanendra Shukla, Vice Chairman, CropLife India and Managing Director & CEO, Rallis India; Rahul Dhanuka, Managing Director, Dhanuka Agritech Ltd; Mayank Singhal, Vice Chairperson & Managing Director, PI Industries; and N. K. Rajavelu, CEO, Godrej Agrovet. All five companies are members of CropLife India, an industry association representing 17 R&D-driven crop protection companies.