New Delhi: CropLife India, representing 17 R&D-driven crop science companies and serving as the leading voice of the plant science industry in India, held a workshop today on ‘Crop Grouping Principles for Establishment of National MRLs.’ This event addressed the lack of label claims for spices, fruits, leafy vegetables, and other crops, which restricts farmers’ pest management options and poses risks of international trade rejections due to off-label agrochemical use and the absence of national Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs). The workshop urged the Indian government to discourage off-label agrochemical use by implementing a crop grouping scheme.
According to CropLife India, an estimated 85 per cent of the 554 crops grown in India lack label claims for Crop Protection Products (CPPs) due to their limited acreage or commercial value, leading to off-label use. Adopting Crop Grouping Principles, already implemented in countries like the USA, EU, Japan, and Australia, is crucial. These principles have significantly benefited farmers in those regions. The crop protection industry has long advocated for this change, engaging in extensive deliberations with technical experts.
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Speaking at the occasion, Dr. PK Singh, Agriculture Commissioner & Chairman of the Registration Committee, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, highlighted the complexity of implementing crop grouping principles in India, given its diverse climatic conditions, soils, and crop varieties. He emphasised the need for concrete outcomes from the workshop, stating, “We have accomplished a lot in this direction, and I hope the deliberations and proceedings from this workshop will help finalise the pointers for the Crop Grouping Government Committee. It is high time we adopt the proceedings of the crop grouping committee to avoid wasting time and investment on these studies.”
Dr. Singh also addressed the legal adoption of these principles and the role of FSSAI, stating, “FSSAI has to adopt the commitments regarding MRLs. The future should hold a smoother process, including the issuance of certificates.”
Addressing the workshop, Dr. JP Singh, Plant Protection Adviser, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, emphasised the need to address the challenges of bio-efficacy and safety residues in agriculture. He said, “Considering the scientific principles of bio-efficacy and safety residues, it is high time to extrapolate and expand scientific data to tackle the challenges posed by off-label pesticide use, which is prevalent in many districts.”
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Dr. Singh stressed the importance of collaboration among industry, regulators, and policymakers to harmonise MRL standards at both national and international levels. “We face numerous challenges from climate change and invasive pests. It is crucial to expedite the registration process and reduce off-label pesticide use to provide relief to farmers and trade.”
Speaking at the workshop, Dr. Archana Sinha, Secretary of the Central Insecticide Board & Registration Committee (CIBRC), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, congratulated CropLife India on organising the workshop and emphasised, “Registration certificates are lifeless without MRLs. By adopting this crop grouping report, we will improve regulatory affairs.”
Dr. Sinha underscored the significance of crop grouping, noting that it will expedite MRL fixation for minor crops and should be a dynamic, ongoing process. “Monitoring MRLs and keeping ethical considerations in mind during data generation is crucial to understanding our progress.”
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Durgesh Chandra, Secretary General of CropLife India, expressed pride in the transparent deliberations among the Department of Agriculture, Central Insecticide Board, and industry experts, which led to the pragmatic Crop Grouping Principles. “It has always been our endeavour to provide global practices based on sound scientific principles for the growth of Indian agriculture.”
The workshop featured notable officials, including Dr. PG Shah, Chairman of the Scientific Panel on Pesticide Residue (SPPR), FSSAI; Dr. Kaushik Banerjee, Director of the ICAR-National Research Centre on Grapes; Dr. T Sonai Rajan, Assistant Director (Entomology), CIBRC; Dr. Poonam Jasrotia, ADG (Plant Protection & Biosafety), ICAR; Dr. Vandana Tripathy, Network Coordinator (AINP) & Scheme In-Charge (MPRNL), All Indian Network Project on Pesticide Residues, ICAR; David Lunn, Ex JMPR Assessor and Agchem Residue Scientist, Ministry for Primary Industries, New Zealand; and Alan Norden, Board of Director, Minor Use Foundation.
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The Codex Classification of food and animal feed commodities, first adopted by the 18th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 1989, aims to ensure the use of uniform nomenclature and classify foods into groups and/or sub-groups for establishing group MRLs for commodities with similar characteristics and residue potential. Once the label claim is approved on a representative crop and MRL is set for the sub-group, these principles will enhance the label claim of CPPs on member crops of the sub-group.
The Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee (CIB&RC) approved the Crop Grouping Principles in 2019 during the 407th meeting of the Registration Committee, but implementation has been delayed. The workshop’s recommendations will emphasise the early implementation of Crop Grouping Principles to benefit Indian farmers by making approved CPPs available to combat pests, diseases, and weeds.
