Crop insurers seek data protection in pesticides bill

Five of India's largest crop insurers have jointly asked the government to include a provision for the protection of regulatory data in the draft Pesticides Management Bill, 2025. The Economic Times reports that Crystal Crop Protection, Rallis India, Dhanuka Agritech, PI Industries and Godrej Agrovet, all members of industry body CropLife India, are seeking a five-year, time-bound data protection window starting from the first registration of a new molecule or new use. The Hindu Business Line also reports this demand, adding that the companies said a limited, time-bound data protection framework is the missing incentive to bring newer, safer and lower-dose molecules to Indian farms faster.

The companies argue that registering a new molecule costs an estimated Rs 40-50 crore and takes six to eight years of local trials, but without protection, a later applicant can access the same data within a year for around Rs 75 lakh. They cite a CropLife India-Yes Bank knowledge report estimating that India loses 10-35 per cent of its farm output annually, worth roughly Rs 2 lakh crore, to pests, weeds and diseases. The industry also noted that China offers six years of data protection and is now the world's largest agrochemical exporter, while Thailand, Brazil, the United States and the European Union offer longer protection periods. India currently has no such provision.