India’s leading crop protection companies have jointly urged the government to introduce a Protection of Regulatory Data (PRD) framework, arguing that it could give farmers faster access to newer and safer crop protection solutions while strengthening domestic manufacturing and agrochemical exports.
Crystal Crop Protection, Rallis India, Dhanuka Agritech, PI Industries and Godrej Agrovet have called for a limited, time-bound data protection window for new molecules and new uses. According to the companies, such a framework would encourage innovators to introduce advanced, lower-dose and safer crop protection products in India. Importantly, they said the proposal would eventually benefit the entire domestic industry, including generic manufacturers and SMEs, once the protection period expires.
Farmers Could Gain Access to Newer and Safer Chemistry
The companies believe the biggest beneficiaries of a modern regulatory data protection framework would be Indian farmers. Climate change is altering pest, weed and disease patterns, while resistance to existing crop protection products continues to create challenges. As a result, farmers increasingly require access to newer chemistry that can provide more targeted and dependable crop protection.
New-generation molecules generally work at lower application rates and offer improved safety profiles. Consequently, they can support safer handling, lower residues in agricultural produce and more effective crop protection. India reportedly loses an estimated 10% to 35% of agricultural output annually due to pests, weeds and diseases, representing losses of around ₹2 lakh crore. The companies also highlighted concerns that rising temperatures and changing climatic conditions could further intensify these crop losses.
A Modern Molecule Portfolio Could Strengthen Agriculture and Exports
Beyond farm productivity, the companies said PRD could strengthen India’s agrochemical manufacturing sector and export competitiveness. India currently has approximately 380 registered molecules, compared with around 1,200 molecules used globally. Expanding the availability of modern crop protection products could therefore provide Indian manufacturers with a broader portfolio of products to manufacture and commercialise. Furthermore, access to newer chemistry could help agricultural exporters meet increasingly stringent international residue requirements. The companies argued that Indian agrochemical exporters compete with countries that already provide regulatory data protection. Therefore, they believe a stronger and more modern product portfolio could improve India’s manufacturing competitiveness and export resilience.
PRD Could Encourage Investment in New Crop Protection Molecules
According to the companies, introducing a new crop protection molecule in India requires substantial investment and time. They estimate that bringing a new molecule to the Indian market can cost around ₹40–50 crore and require six to eight years of local safety, efficacy and residue studies. However, they argue that the absence of regulatory data protection reduces the incentive for companies to make these investments. Under the proposed framework, a limited protection period would allow the original applicant to recover its investment before other companies could rely on the submitted regulatory data. Once the protection period ends, the molecule would become available to the wider domestic industry. The companies have proposed a five-year PRD period from the first registration of new molecules and new uses.
Generic Manufacturers and SMEs Could Benefit After the Protection Period
The proposed framework, the companies stressed, would not restrict the long-term growth of generic manufacturers or small and medium-sized enterprises. Instead, they argue that once a molecule completes its protection period, generic companies and SMEs would gain access to a larger and more modern portfolio of crop protection products for domestic and export markets. The proposal would apply only to new molecules and new uses, meaning products already available in the Indian market would remain unaffected. As a result, the companies said PRD would add to the range of opportunities available to domestic manufacturers rather than reduce them.
India Looks to Catch Up with Global Agrochemical Markets
The companies also pointed out that several major agrochemical markets already provide regulatory data protection. According to their submission, China provides six years of data protection, while countries such as Thailand, Brazil and the United States provide protection for up to ten years. The European Union provides ten years, with longer protection available for certain low-risk and biological products. India, however, currently does not provide a comparable regulatory data protection framework. The companies believe introducing a time-bound system would therefore help India align more closely with major global agrochemical markets and strengthen its ability to compete internationally.
Framework Could Support Quality, Research and Responsible Product Use
The companies also highlighted broader benefits of a regulatory data protection framework. They argued that when a single molecule receives hundreds of identical registrations, intense price competition can sometimes encourage overuse, misuse and the growth of markets for spurious or sub-standard products. A time-bound protection period, they said, could reward genuine investment in research, product quality and innovation while encouraging more responsible competition. In addition, because new product registrations require locally generated safety, efficacy and residue data, the framework could increase research activity at Indian laboratories and field stations. The first registrant would also carry stewardship and resistance-management responsibilities during the protected period, potentially improving the responsible use of crop protection products in the field.
Industry Leaders Call for Action Through the Pesticides Management Bill
The companies have urged the Government to use the proposed Pesticides Management Bill, 2025 as an opportunity to introduce a balanced and time-bound PRD framework. They believe a five-year protection period would provide sufficient incentive for companies to invest in new molecules and technologies while ensuring that generic manufacturers and SMEs gain market access after the protection period expires. Ankur Aggarwal, Chairman of CropLife India and Executive Chairman & Managing Director of Crystal Crop Protection Ltd., said evolving pest pressures require farmers to gain faster access to modern crop protection solutions.
Dr. Gyanendra Shukla, Vice Chairman of CropLife India and Managing Director & CEO of Rallis India, said India needs a modern crop protection portfolio to protect farmers and maintain export competitiveness. Rahul Dhanuka, Managing Director of Dhanuka Agritech, said time-bound data protection could accelerate farmers’ access to newer, safer and lower-dose crop protection solutions. Mayank Singhal, Vice Chairperson & Managing Director of PI Industries, emphasised that a predictable data protection framework could encourage research and bring innovative solutions to Indian farmers. N. K. Rajavelu, CEO of Godrej Agrovet, added that longer protection for low-risk and greener products could help encourage sustainable and lower-dose crop protection technologies.
PRD Could Support a More Innovative Agrochemical Industry
The companies believe that a carefully designed Protection of Regulatory Data framework could create a balanced pathway for innovation and competition in India’s crop protection industry. By encouraging investment in newer molecules, expanding the availability of safer and lower-dose chemistry, supporting domestic research and eventually opening new opportunities for generic manufacturers and SMEs, the proposed framework could strengthen the entire agrochemical value chain. As per the press release, as India faces evolving pest pressures, climate-related agricultural challenges and increasingly demanding global export standards, the industry believes that faster access to modern crop protection technologies could play an important role in supporting farm productivity, sustainable agriculture, domestic manufacturing and agrochemical exports.
