Several insecticide manufacturing units may lose licence

Hyderabad: Cancellation of licenses looms large over scores of companies and individuals who have established the units to manufacture insecticides in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The companies established by industrialists from outside the State are likely to be hit.

According to sources, manufacturing of insecticides is regulated under the Insecticides Act of 1968, a Central Act. Individuals and companies from anywhere in the country can obtain a license from the Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee (CIBRC). 

In turn, they can establish their units in any part of the country after meeting the conditions stipulated. Accordingly, until recently the companies and individuals manufacturing insecticides had to comply with the Insecticide Rules of 1971.

Under these rules, companies or individuals possessing a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture can establish the manufacturing units. However, the Centre had amended the relevant provisions under Rule 9, for sub-rule (4B) of the insecticides rules of 1971.

Speaking to The Hans India, a senior official from the Agriculture Department said the new rules were published in a Gazette notification on October 9, 2017. Accordingly, a person "who applies for manufacturing license shall possess or employ a person possessing," the qualifications of "Doctorate in Chemistry or Agriculture Chemistry or Agriculture Chemicals, Master of Technology or Master of Science in Chemical Engineering or equivalent for the manufacture of technical grade pesticides." 

Or, they should possess master’s degree in science with chemistry agriculture chemistry or agriculture chemicals or equivalent as one of the subjects for the manufacture of pesticides," it added.  But, considering the practical consequences of the amended rules, the new rules said, "the companies and individuals already running the insecticide manufacturing units possessing a manufacturing license or a degree on the date of notification of the Insecticides (third amendment) rules 2017 shall be allowed a period of two years." to comply with the educational qualification as per the new guidelines. 

Because, in most of the companies, people with bachelor’s degrees in Agriculture and Chemistry and allied sciences are working. And these people will have to acquire the postgraduate qualifications before November 2019. Otherwise, they will lose their manufacturing licenses, the sources pointed out. 

It was against this backdrop that the Agriculture Departments in TS and AP had informed to the license holders about the new rules. Most of the companies owned by those from the TS and AP have already taken steps to comply with the new rules and renew their licenses.

However, there are some individuals and companies who have got their licenses from other States and established their units in the two Telugu States. It was found when they have come for renewal of licenses that "these manufacturing units where people possessing bachelor’s degrees in Agriculture and Chemistry are either owning or working. 

And they have not taken steps to comply with the new regulations. Now the only way left for these manufacturing units numbering about 50 is that either the CIBRC have to extend the time for them to comply with the new rules or they will have shut down their units, said an official from the TS Agriculture Department.