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CropLife India flags illegal pesticide sales on e-commerce platforms
NEW DELHI: CropLife India has raised alarm over the growing online sale of unauthorised pesticides, warning that gaps in regulation and enforcement across e-commerce platforms risk exposing farmers to hazardous and spurious products.
The industry body, which represents 17 research-led crop protection companies, called for a strong joint government–industry framework to bring accountability, licensing and traceability into digital agri-input supply chains. The concerns come as the government reviews pesticide regulation under the draft pesticides management bill, 2025.
The issue took centre stage at CropLife India’s national conference on crop protection products sale on e-commerce platforms, held in New Delhi, where policymakers, regulators and industry executives examined how agri-input sales are shifting online and where oversight is falling short.
Addressing the gathering, ministry of agriculture & farmers welfare agriculture commissioner P K Singh, said basic compliance checks such as GST verification were inadequate when hazardous products are sold digitally. He stressed the need for tighter quality assurance, traceability and supply-chain accountability, and said these risks must be addressed explicitly in the new law.
Insecticides board & registration committee secretary Subhash Chand, warned that while digitisation is expanding access in rural India, pesticides remain hazardous products requiring shared responsibility between platforms and manufacturers. ONDC domain lead – agriculture Ravi Shankar underlined the importance of better cataloguing, advisory information and traceability to help farmers distinguish genuine products from fakes.
CropLife India chairman Ankur Aggarwal said the industry was not opposed to online sales but to the absence of enforceable safeguards. “Tackling unauthorised products is critical for farmer safety, food security and trust,” he said, adding that regulation must evolve with digital commerce.
The association pointed out that pesticides are governed by the insecticides act, 1968 and insecticides rules, 1971, which strictly limit sales to licensed sellers, approved products, defined geographies and valid at from manufacturers or importers. However, e-commerce platforms facilitating such sales are not required to hold licences under pesticide law, nor explicitly mandated to verify product authorisations, creating a regulatory blind spot.
Risks are sharper in inventory-led e-commerce models, where storage and dispatch may occur from warehouses not licensed under existing rules, weakening inspection, sampling and traceability. CropLife India also clarified that rule 10E, introduced in 2022 to permit online or doorstep delivery, does not waive licensing or authorisation requirements, despite being widely misinterpreted.
With inspections largely tied to licensed premises, enforcement agencies struggle to track responsibility across fragmented digital supply chains, delaying action against illegal products. While welcoming the intent of the draft bill, CropLife India said it fails to clearly address platform-level accountability, licensing in inventory models and digital traceability.
The association said it will submit its recommendations through the formal consultation process, calling for what it described as “regulated enablement” of digital agri-commerce.
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Myntra revives ‘Fashion ki Adalat’ to put social judgments on trial for International Women’s Day
Courtroom satire stars Lisa Ray and Archana Puran Singh
NATIONAL: Ahead of International Women’s Day, fashion e-commerce platform Myntra has revived its social campaign Fashion ki Adalat, expanding the idea of societal judgment beyond clothing choices.
The latest instalment of the campaign features actor and model Lisa Ray in a satirical courtroom drama that puts everyday scrutiny of women’s choices on trial. Veteran actor Archana Puran Singh reprises her role as the presiding judge, delivering the verdict in a humorous yet pointed narrative.
Set inside a stylised courtroom, the campaign frames the case as “Society vs Her Choices,” turning familiar criticisms into formal accusations. Through humour and satire, the film examines how women’s decisions, ranging from fashion and career to marriage and identity, are frequently judged across different stages of life.
The narrative traces three phases of Lisa Ray’s life. At 18, her independence is framed as defiance. Later, after marriage, her decision not to change her surname is questioned. In midlife, her ambition and bold self-expression are again scrutinised. Each moment is met with sharp retorts that challenge social expectations and reinforce the campaign’s central message: personal expression should not be subject to public approval.
With Fashion ki Adalat 2.0, Myntra is attempting to broaden last year’s conversation from defending individual fashion choices to questioning the impulse to judge them altogether.
“Self-expression is often met with unsolicited scrutiny,” said Myntra head of social media marketing and creator ecosystem Monalisa Panda. “Through this campaign we wanted to spotlight that reality and celebrate individuality across life stages.”
Created and produced by Ideaz Farm, the film was directed by Yash Danak, with creative direction by Katya Mohan and Rishi P Ekta Taak and Prasanna Shetty served as producers, while P Kalyani Sunil handled cinematography.
The campaign forms part of Myntra’s wider push to position fashion and beauty as tools of personal identity and self-expression for younger consumers across India.
