Dr. Pranjib Kumar Chakrabarty’s Decade-Long Campaign Against Off-Label Pesticide Use in Indian Crops Yields Breakthrough

After a decade of relentless efforts, Dr. Pranjib Kumar Chakrabarty's campaign to curb the rampant off-label use of pesticides on Indian crops, which affects a staggering 85% of crops, is finally seeing tangible results. His commitment to revolutionizing India’s pesticide regulation is paving the way for a healthier agricultural environment and safer food production.

Dr. Chakrabarty's success stems from extensive international collaborations with organizations like IR4, PMC, GMUF, CCPR, and continuous deliberations with domestic authorities, including ICAR, CIBRC, MoA, FSSAI, and industry leaders. Key contributions from his colleagues at ICAR, such as Dr. KK Sharma, Principal Scientist (SWCE), Dr. Vandana Tripathi, Network Coordinator & Principal Scientist, AINP on Pesticide Residues, Dr. TP Rajendran, Dr. Dubey, Dr. Poonam Jasrotia, Assistant Director General (Plant Protection and Biosafety), and Dr. Archana Tripathi, as well as international experts like Dr. Dan Kunkel, Dr. Carlos, Dr. JP Singh (PPA) and Dr. Anna Gore, were instrumental in advancing this cause.

The Ministry of Agriculture has formally expressed its intent to adopt a crop group-based approach for harmonizing the Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) of pesticides and Good Agriculture Practice (GAP) regulations. This move, spearheaded by Dr. Chakrabarty and his team, promises to overhaul India’s agricultural practices, ensuring the use of scientifically backed bioefficacy and residue estimation guidelines.

This approach aims to improve crop protection and productivity by focusing on minor use programs—key to preventing pest-related losses across India’s vast crop diversity. Over 85% of India's 554 crops, including horticultural crops, plantation crops, herbs, and spices, are classified as minor crops, and thus require data-driven incentives to regulate pesticide use effectively.

Dr. Chakrabarty emphasized that while this breakthrough is a significant milestone, his work is far from over. He remains committed to ensuring the incentivization of data requirements for member crops in line with international regulations. Without such incentives- like reduced data requirements, data extrapolation from global studies, and data bridging—industries may be reluctant to register pesticides on minor crops due to the high costs of registration. 

The minor use program, a model implemented by Codex and the IR4 (a U.S.-based project), addresses pesticide use on minor crops and minor uses on major crops. India aims to adapt this program to its own agricultural landscape, with Dr. Chakrabarty advocating for a country-specific approach to defining minor crops. Through a potential Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ICAR and the Global Minor Use Foundation (GMUF), USA, India is looking to align its pesticide use regulations with international best practices.

For Dr. Chakrabarty, this achievement represents a lifetime milestone, bringing him immense satisfaction and relief. His work will have a lasting impact on India’s agricultural landscape, contributing to healthier food production and a safer environment. His campaign against off-label pesticide use highlights the importance of collaboration, science-backed regulation, and a commitment to improving agricultural standards in India. Though much has been achieved, Dr. Chakrabarty’s fight for harmonized pesticide regulations continues, with a focus on incentivizing industries to adopt the crop group-based MRL system and enhancing the safety and productivity of India’s crops.

Dr. Chakrabarty's perseverance has paid off. The Ministry of Agriculture has formally expressed intent to adopt a crop group-based approach for harmonization of MRL (Maximum Residue Limit) of pesticides and GPA (Good Agriculture Practice) regulations.