Amending the existing rules, the union government has approved the sale of pesticides through e-commerce websites in India. Now, all e-commerce platforms including majors like amazon and Flipkart can home-deliver pesticides to their customers.

The government amended the Insecticide Act to make the online sale of pesticides legal in India. However, it is mandatory for the company selling pesticides to have a licence and strictly follow the laid-out guidelines. Moreover, the e-commerce platforms would be solely responsible for the verification of the license.

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"A licensee may undertake the sale of any insecticide through e-commerce entity for supply of insecticides to the doorstep of the farmers during the currency of licence, and the licensee shall comply with the provisions of the Act and the rules made there under for the time being in force," the notification read.

This latest step is set to increase competition in the pesticide market resulting in a reduction in the prices of pesticides. This move will also assist agrochemical manufacturers in establishing their online presence and increasing their customer base. Moreover, Farmers would now have more options available to them.

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First Published:Nov 29, 2022 12:07 PM IST