Syllabus:

GS3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment 

Context:

Recently, Union Agriculture Minister wrote to Chief Ministers of all states to immediately stop the “forced tagging” of nano-fertilisers or biostimulants along with conventional fertilisers.

More on the News

• Union Agriculture Minister highlighted complaints that retailers are not selling subsidised fertilisers like urea and diammonium phosphate (DAP) to farmers unless they purchase biostimulants.
• Many farmers had recently raised complaints about the inefficacy of biostimulants. 

Biostimulants

• The substances stimulate physiological processes in plants and help enhance the yield from a harvest. 
• Plant-derived waste materials and seaweed extracts are at times used in their production.
• Officially, the Fertiliser (Inorganic, Organic or Mixed) (Control) Order, 1985, which regulates the manufacturing and sale of biostimulants, defines it as “a substance or microorganism or a combination of both whose primary function when applied to plants, seeds or rhizosphere is to stimulate physiological processes in plants and to enhance its nutrient uptake, growth, yield, nutrition efficiency, crop quality and tolerance to stress but does not include pesticides or plant growth regulators which are regulated under the Insecticide Act, 1968.”

India’s Bio-stimulant market: 

• According to Fortune Business Insights, India's biostimulants market is expected to grow from USD 410.78 million in 2025 to USD 1.13 billion by 2032, at a CAGR of 15.64%.
• According to the Union Agriculture Minister, around 30,000 biostimulant products had been sold unchecked for several years, and even in the last four years, around 8,000 products remained in circulation. 
• After strict enforcement checks, the number has come down to approximately 650. 

Government action on Biostimulants

As biostimulants did not fall under the existing fertiliser or pesticide categories, they were sold in the open market without government approval for a long time.

• In India, fertilizers are regulated under the 1985 Fertiliser Control Order and pesticides under the 1968 Insecticides Act. 
• The Agriculture Ministry updates the FCO under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.

However, in 2011, the Punjab and Haryana High Court made an observation. 

• Any manufacturer producing a bioproduct claiming to be a substitute for insecticides or fertiliser, but not covered under the rules, was to apply to the respective Director General of Agriculture, in the case of Haryana and Punjab. 
• This paved the way for states to take samples of these products and check them before allowing their sale to farmers. 

As the sale of biostimulants increased over the years in 2017, NITI Aayog and the Agriculture Ministry started working on a framework for biostimulants. 

In February 2021, the ministry amended the 1985 FCO and included biostimulants, paving the way for their regulated manufacturing, sale and import.

Fertilizer Control Order (FCO) and Bio-stimulant: 

• The inclusion of biostimulants empowered the Central government to fix specifications. 
• The FCO classified biostimulants specified in Schedule VI of the FCO in eight categories, including botanical extracts (as well as seaweed extracts), bio-chemicals, vitamins, and antioxidants.
• Every manufacturer or importer of a biostimulant shall make an application to the Controller of Fertilisers along with the requisite product information. 
• The product’s chemistry, source (natural extracts of plant/microbe/animal/synthetic), shelf-life, reports of bio-efficacy trials, and toxicity must be submitted, along with other data.

The five basic acute toxicity tests are:

• Acute oral (Rat)
• Acute dermal (Rat)
• Acute Inhalation (Rat)
• Primary skin Irritation (Rabbit)
• Eye irritation (Rabbit)

The four eco-toxicity tests are:

• Toxicity to birds
• Toxicity to Fish (Freshwater)
• Toxicity to honeybees
• Toxicity to earthworm

The FCO mandates that biostimulants must not exceed 0.01 ppm pesticide residue. 

Bio-efficacy trials must be held under ICAR or state Agriculture universities, using three doses across one season at three agro-ecological locations.

On April 9, 2021, the Agriculture Ministry set up the Central Biostimulant Committee for five years, chaired by the Agriculture Commissioner and seven members. 

• Under the FCO, it shall advise the Centre on: 
• Inclusion of a new biostimulant 
• Specifications of various biostimulants 
• Methods of drawing of samples and its analysis
• Minimum requirements of laboratory; (v) method of testing of biostimulants; (vi) any other matter referred to it by the central government.

Latest Government Action:

• According to the FCO order, amended in 2021, manufacturers could make and sell biostimulants for two years if they made an application for provisional registration. 
• The Agriculture Ministry repeatedly extended the two-year deadline, allowing most manufacturers in 2021 to sell biostimulants with provisional registration, which bypasses the stricter testing required for full registration.
• On March 17, the Agriculture Ministry extended provisional biostimulant sales for three months, until June 16, for products without set standards. With the extension now expired, companies with provisional certificates can no longer sell their stocks.
• In addition to this, the Agriculture Ministry notified “Specifications of Biostimulants” on May 26 for several crops, including tomato, chilli, cucumber, paddy, brinjal, cotton, potato, green gram, grape, hot pepper, soybean, maize, and onion.

Source: Indian Express

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-economics/biostimulants-meaning-agri-fertiliser-shivraj-farmers-10138567/