Indian Chemical News, the most credible online media platform for the Chemicals, Petrochemicals, and Energy sector, is organizing the Second Edition of ‘AgroChem Summit 2023’ (https://www.indianchemicalnews.com/agrochem-summit-2024/) on December 15, 2023 at The Park, Parliament Street, New Delhi.

The theme of the AgroChem Summit 2023 is "Boosting Production Through Sustainable Agriculture Practices".

Speakers for the regulatory session are: Dr. Vishal Choudhary, Dy Industrial Advisor, DCPC, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India; Mr. Pradip Dave, President, Pesticides Manufacturers & Formulators Association of India (PMFAI); Dr. K. C. Ravi, Chief Sustainability Officer, Syngenta India Pvt. Ltd.; Mr. Suresh Pennadam Jeyakaran, Lead - Regulatory Advocacy & Scientific Affairs, Bayer CropScience Ltd.; Vipin Saini, CEO, Biological Agri Solutions Association of India (BASAI); Girish Ahuja, GM - Corporate Affairs, Crystal Crop Protection Ltd. The session is moderated by Pravin Prashant, Executive Editor, Indian Chemical News. 

Topics to be covered are: Current regulatory scenario: need overhaul?; Global differences in regulations causing trade issues; Discrepancies in the registration and regulation of sales; Simplifying registration of agrochemicals; Identifying gaps in harmonising global safety standards; Decriminalizing laws; and impact of regulations on Indian economy. 

The regulatory framework for agrochemicals in India is aimed at ensuring the safety and effectiveness of agricultural inputs while minimizing their potential risks and impacts on human health and the environment. The government regularly reviews and updates the regulations to incorporate new scientific knowledge and technological advancements.

At present, the regulatory landscape for agrochemicals in India is still very similar to what it used to be earlier. It is based on the Insecticides Act, 1968, and the Insecticides Rules, 1971. These laws regulate the manufacture, sale, distribution, and use of insecticides and other agrochemicals in India. The regulations are being modified as and when required.

India offers tremendous opportunities in terms of agricultural resources but it needs to upgrade its regulatory framework to stay competitive. The registration for a new product takes a fixed amount of time in other countries but in India it gets delayed unnecessarily. That means the technology which comes to India takes too much time to make it available for the farmers.

The new Act is going to provide a framework, but the rules and institutions which are actually going to implement look at it in a very different manner. There is a need for a lot of changes which can be done including how R&D and innovation is going to get promoted in this sector.

The Summit is supported by the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India. Gold partners are: Godrej Agrovet Ltd., SML Ltd; and Somaiya Vidyavihar University. Industry association supporting AgroChem Summit 2023 are: Agro Chem Federation of India (ACFI); Crop Care Federation of India (CCFI); Crop Life India (CLI), Pesticides Manufacturers & Formulators Association of India (PMFAI); and Biological Agri Solutions Association of India (BASAI).