Government allowing loot of Indian farmers by MNCs

Hyderabad:  The un-noticed scam of more than Rs 7,000 crore by permitting imports of readymade pesticide formulations, the then UPA and currently NDA government are allowing loot of Indian Farmers by the Multinational Companies, claims Confederation of All India Small and Medium Pesticides Manufacturers Association (CAPMA).

It is to noted that in place of existing Insecticides Act 1968, the Government of India is bringing a new legislation named Pesticide Management Bill 2017 (PMB 2017), but the CAPMA members demand the government of India to revise the new PMB 2017 bill for the benefit of the farmers.

The 1968 Act under which manufactures, imports, sale, transport, distribution and use of pesticides are being regulated to save farmers interest as they are one of the key agricultural inputs that protects farmers crops from pests, diseases. 

While Section 9(3) of the Act helps brining new pesticides in market to meet the growing needs of farmers, 9 (4) also known as ‘Me too’ registrations ensured creating necessary competition in market so that farmers get pesticides at most economic price.

Raja Mahender Reddy, President of CAPMA said that one of the biggest problems faced by the Indian farmers as well as Indian Pesticides Industry is due to government policy of allowing registration for import of readymade pesticide formulation without registering the Technical Grade material used in the formulation in the country. He said that the policy guidelines created in the year 2007 gives total monopoly to importers mainly to multinational to charge exorbitant prices from farmers for the pesticides imported restricting entry of Indian manufactures.

“We demand the government of India to first take up Technical registration and then the formulation must not be allowed. Import of formulation must be stopped as it is a damage to the Indian Pesticides Industry and farmers are been looted. Pesticide Management Bill 2017 is totally favored for MNC’s. We also request the government to relook into the sample failures and penalties should be revised”, Mahender Reddy added.