By: ICN Bureau
Last updated : December 01, 2025 9:38 am
Stakeholders demand quicker approvals and recognition of agrochemicals’ role in protecting crops and ensuring national food security
Indian agrochemical industry leaders argue that while new technologies and safer formulations are emerging, regulatory delays, high data requirements, and persistent stigma around pesticides are slowing progress. They emphasize that agrochemicals better understood as plant medicines are essential for protecting crops, safeguarding farmer livelihoods, and ensuring the nation’s food supply.
As the sector pushes for pragmatic policies, improved public perception, and faster access to innovation, a unified industry voice is beginning to take shape. Industry leaders discussed the topic at the first session of AgroChem Summit 2025 organised by the Indian Chemical News (ICN) on November 17, 2025, in New Delhi.
The panel discussion titled “Developing Climate Resilient Agrochemicals to Address Changing Agricultural Patterns” was moderated by Pravin Prashant, Executive Editor, ICN.
Sharing his thoughts, R. G. Agarwal, Chairman Emeritus, Dhanuka Agritech Ltd.argued that India is falling far behind in developing and accessing modern, resistance-breaking agrochemicals.
“When it comes to developing resistant agrochemicals, we are perhaps far behind. Globally, there are1100–1200 registered pesticides but here in India, we operate at 350. There are registrations, but no new pesticides are coming into our country. The reason is simple: the kind of products our farmers and our nation need today are not permitted under our current laws. Our regulations do not allow RDP (Registration Data Protection), and because of this, bringing an international product into India—or even developing a combination—costs around Rs 200–300 crore. It takes 3–5 years just to get registration approval from CIBRC, and the amount of money spent in that process is enormous. Despite the government’s call for “Jai Anusandhan” (Hail Research), research cannot happen when innovators get no return on their investment. We cannot change anything without solving the fundamental grassroots issues. If you don’t allow new molecules in the country, what will anyone copy? If you have only old papers, you will only photocopy those. Why won’t you bring new molecules? Every molecule that has come to India so far has been researched by multinational companies. They have the technical plants and the internal processes needed. Either you invest in new product research where Rs 3000 crore is required or companies here must develop that much capability,” said Agarwal.
Agarwal warned that emerging threats such as highly resistant black thrips spreading across multiple crops. “If we cannot do our own research today, then we desperately need access to new molecules. Take the example of black thrips. It has developed such high resistance that today it is spreading across India on multiple crops, and there is no effective control available. If this continues, it will become a major challenge for our agriculture. As of today, we see no clear solution. Which is why we all need to come together to develop new chemicals and pesticides that meet the demands of the current climate and emerging pest challenges,” he added.
Chandrashekhar Shukla, President – Sales & Marketing, Safex Chemicals India suggested that India should rebrand agrochemicals as crop medicine to reflect its essential role in feeding the nation. On the climate change and its impact, Shukla shared his findings from the analysis of data from 2014–15 to 2023–24.
“In the last 10 years, our average temperature has risen by 0.7°C—from around 25.1°C upward. One study says that in India, with every 1°C rise in temperature, wheat productivity falls by 3%. In Europe, the estimate is 6%. When I analysed four major crops, paddy, wheat, maize, and cotton, between 2014–15 and 2023–24, I found that in three of these crops, yields have increased by about 25–27%. So, while temperature has risen, overall productivity has not fallen. So is climate change truly the burning issue we think it is? I believe there are 2–3 factors more critical to productivity including water, soil and agronomic practices.Climate, of course, is also a supporting factor. The biggest question is how much of our knowledge are we actually delivering to the farmers. Many districts in Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan do not even have usable groundwater Because nitrate content has risen due to excessive use of inputs. We cannot drink this water and yet we use it in our fields. The standards we should have for water and soil simply do not exist,” stated Shukla.
Shukla stressed that severe nitrate contamination in groundwater, high soil pH in regions like Punjab, and alkaline conditions are drastically reducing herbicide effectiveness. “One study shows that at pH 8.5, the half-life of a herbicide reduces within just two hours. Its effectiveness declines sharply. These are the real challenges that must be addressed. So while climate change does impact agriculture, the more urgent issues for India today are water, soil health, and responsible usage of crop medicines. We need to educate those who sell crop medicines, because they influence 70–80% of farmers’ decisions. But we lack adequate training programs for dealers and distributors. This is a serious gap. If we want to serve the nation responsibly, we must train and educate these intermediaries. These, not climate change alone, are the immediate priorities if we want Indian entrepreneurs, farmers, and the nation to prosper through a strong crop-medicine sector,” he added.
Dr Shubham Yadav, Specialist (Analytical) & Head- Chemical Safety Group (CSG), IPFT emphasized that rising weed pressure and increasing resistance demand higher doses of existing agrochemicals and the urgent development of new molecules.
“We will also have to increase the dose when weed growth becomes excessive. Along with that, we must develop new molecules in this sector because resistance is gradually increasing, and the number of new molecules entering the market is far less than what is required, especially in India. We need fresh research to bring new molecules to the market, and we must also improve formulations. When temperature increases, it also affects the shelf life of pesticides, the shelf life can decrease, and their mode of action can also change. A pesticide that was working effectively earlier may show variation in performance due to rising temperatures. In a way, this entire topic is deeply connected to R&D,” said Dr Yadav.
Dr Yadav explained that the overall impact of climate change on pesticides and agriculture is largely negative. “Climate change does bring a few scattered benefits such as slightly improved conditions for certain crops in specific regions but these positives are limited and marginal. In reality, the negative consequences far outweigh the benefits. As temperatures rise, even the shelf life and mode of action of pesticides begin to change, making products that once worked well behave unpredictably in the field. To effectively respond to these challenges, the agrochemical sector must innovate rapidly. This means developing new formulations tailored to extreme weather conditions. For drought-prone areas, slow-release formulations are essential because they ensure sustained availability and effectiveness of active ingredients even when moisture is scarce. In contrast, for regions facing heavy rainfall or flooding, coated formulations are needed to prevent products from washing away and to maintain stability and efficacy under excess-water conditions,” added Dr Yadav.
Manoj Varshney, MD & CEO, IFFCO-MC Crop Science highlighted that climate change is no longer an abstract threat but already reshaping Indian agriculture, as seen clearly in this year’s highly disrupted kharif season.
“This year’s kharif season has shown us the real face of climate impact. What was initially forecast to be a ‘super-bumper’ monsoon year turned out to be one of the most climate-affected seasons we have seen. The performance in the first half of the kharif period reflects this clearly. To me, this season should serve as a warning for the future, a reminder that such events will only become more frequent. Of course, this is not the first time that climate variations have reshaped the industry. In previous years as well, sudden climate abnormalities have rewritten crop dynamics. Fall Armyworm changed the maize landscape; black thrips in chilli triggered the introduction of new insecticides; and several companies benefited from these shifts while farmers adopted innovative products. So climate change, in my view, is not entirely negative. It challenges us to innovate. What worked in the past may not work in the future, and this forces us to rethink our strategies for the next decade or two,” said Varshney.
On the regulatory front, Varshney notes growing concerns around product stewardship, environmental responsibility, and food safety. “While the intent to innovate is now strong, two major challenges have emerged: the demand for stronger product stewardship, higher environmental responsibility, and rising concerns around food safety. All these are critical, and globally we see similar pressures, especially in Europe. India appears to be moving in the same direction, but if we mirror Europe’s pace and rigidity, it will become difficult for the industry to deliver innovations quickly to farmers. Regulations must be strict, but they also need flexibility in timelines so solutions can reach the field faster. My request to regulators is to explore how timelines can be reduced, because climate-related issues cannot wait; if a problem appears this year, we must respond quickly with available solutions. Additionally, biologicals are gaining momentum, and the industry must work together to expand this segment and ensure these products reach farmers to help address emerging challenges,” added Varshney.
Dr Vishal Choudhary, Scientist 'F', Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India highlighted the creation of eight Science & Technology Clusters across India, designed to unite academia, research institutions, and industry.
“These are Section 8 organizations, directly monitored by the Government of India, with a mandate to identify regional challenges and offer technology-led solutions. Several of these clusters have focused on agriculture and farmer-related problems. They have already delivered impactful results. For example, technologies emerging from the clusters have benefitted over 25,000 farmers in Telangana and Maharashtra, and similar deployments are planned for Punjab, UP, Haryana, and other regions. These technologies span agricultural equipment, agrochemical solutions, and improved formulations. I would like to highlight specifically, for IPFT and others that our clusters, working closely with the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru— have successfully developed two to three safer EC formulations that have now been converted into water-based formulations. These will soon be ready for commercialization, subject of course to regulatory requirements,” said Dr Choudhary.
Dr Choudhary emphasized that these efforts are action-driven, not academic. “We intend to share all mature, field-tested technologies with industry associations. These include new agricultural equipment, improved crop cycle solutions, and safer agrochemical formulations and combinations. One recently completed example is the optimized nozzle design for drone-based fertilizer and pesticide application, developed by our clusters. These initiatives are not theoretical or limited to paperwork. They are action-oriented, result-driven, and already deployed on the ground. More than 250 agri-startups have been supported by these clusters. We will be happy to share our compendium of mature, TRL-8 and above technologies. These are not research concepts but proven, field-validated solutions ready for adoption by industry,” he concluded.
The AgroChem Summit 2025 themed ‘Driving Sustainability, Balancing Productivity’ was supported as Gold Partners by Humane World for Animals, Godrej Agrovet, Safex, and SML.
The industry association partners included BASAI, PMFAI, ACFI, CCFI, and Croplife India.