The next farm reform must protect India’s harvest

As India marks Reforms Utsav, celebrating 12 years of governance reforms under the leadership of the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, agriculture stands out as a major success. The Government’s farmer-first approach has focused on raising incomes, reducing cultivation costs, strengthening risk protection and bringing modern infrastructure and services from farm to market. Direct benefit transfers, crop insurance, institutional credit, irrigation, digital markets, farm infrastructure, soil health, mechanisation and technology-enabled advisories have together improved the operating environment for farmers.

The results are visible. India’s total foodgrain production is estimated at 376.56 million tonnes in 2025-26, the highest ever in the country’s history. Agricultural exports, which stood at USD 32.08 billion in FY 2014-15, are projected to reach a record USD 52.55 billion in FY 2025-26. Recent GST rationalisation has also supported this direction by reducing rates on tractors below 1800 cc, several bio-pesticides, micronutrients and other farm-linked inputs. On the farm advisory side, initiatives such as the National Pest Surveillance System and Bharat-VISTAAR are helping improve pest intelligence and decision-making. These initiatives are laying the foundation for an integrated ecosystem where production, pest surveillance and market access are increasingly interconnected.

This is why crop protection should become a central part of the next phase of reform. A country producing and exporting at record levels needs a modern system to protect crops and preserve its competitive edge in global markets. Crop protection sits at the intersection of productivity, farmer income, food safety and export readiness.

A pest outbreak can reduce yield. The wrong product or improper application can jeopardise residue compliance. A spurious input can damage the farmer’s crop and weaken trust across the value chain.

These pressures are intensifying. Climate variability is changing pest behaviour and infestation windows. A study published in Science estimated that for wheat, rice and maize, yield losses from insect pests could increase by 10-25% for every degree Celsius of warming. Official estimates placed before Parliament suggest that pests, diseases and weeds account for about 10-35% of annual crop losses in India, depending on the crop and season. Separately, a CropLife India and YES Bank knowledge report estimates that nearly ₹2 lakh crore worth of crop yield is lost annually due to pests.

Pests are creating a market-access challenge as well. The EU RASFF system, the US FDA import refusal system and APEDA’s export advisories show that residue compliance has become a recurring concern across high-value markets. APEDA’s advisory on rice exports to Lebanon illustrates how quickly residue-related concerns in one market can influence requirements elsewhere. Assam tea faces a similar challenge, with reports warning that tighter European residue limits could affect around 40 million kg of high-end Assam tea exports to Europe and the UK.

India’s response must begin at the production stage. Compliance depends on farmers knowing which product is approved for which crop, how it should be applied, when it should be applied and how long the crop must wait before harvest.

Integrated Pest Management must become more central in practice. Surveillance, correct diagnosis, economic thresholds, resistant varieties, field hygiene and responsible use of crop protection products all have a role. Better pest management is ultimately about correct use, not more use.

Access to a wider basket of crop protection technologies enables farmers to choose the most effective solutions for their crops and pest pressures.

Yet India has only around 380 registered molecules, compared with nearly 1,200 available globally, limiting access to newer tools needed to manage resistance, improve productivity and meet evolving export standards. One reason for this gap is the absence of Protection of Regulatory Data (PRD) in India. A well-designed PRD framework can encourage innovation and facilitate faster access to newer, more selective and lower-dose crop protection solutions with improved stewardship practices.

When used in accordance with approved labels and Good Agricultural Practices, these technologies can help farmers manage pest pressure more effectively, optimise spray intensity and better align with the increasingly stringent residue requirements of international markets.

At the same time, farmer training, adherence to approved uses and pre-harvest intervals, along with robust testing and traceability systems, remain critical for ensuring compliance with prescribed Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs).

Major agricultural economies, including the EU, the US and China, provide time-bound regulatory data protection to encourage innovation. India too can design a calibrated framework for new molecules that promotes earlier access to advanced technologies while preserving competition through independent data generation and eventual generic entry. Such a model would benefit farmers today and expand opportunities for domestic manufacturing and exports over time.

Reforms Utsav should be seen not as the culmination of agricultural reforms, but as a call for the next phase. India has strengthened its production base, built export-oriented systems and embraced digital agriculture.

Crop protection regulation must now keep pace with this transformation. A Protection of Regulatory Data (PRD) framework can accelerate access to newer crop protection technologies and enhance the competitiveness of Indian agriculture.

The proposed Pesticides Management Bill, 2025 presents a timely opportunity to provide the regulatory foundation for this transition by replacing the framework established under the Insecticides Act, 1968. Its focus on digitisation, stronger action against spurious products, improved compliance and enhanced regulatory oversight is a welcome step.

To serve farmers in the next decade, the legislation should also enable faster registration pathways for innovative molecules, lower-risk products and new uses, alongside greater emphasis on label expansion for export-oriented and minor crops. As global markets become more demanding, these reforms are essential to protect yields, raise farm incomes and reinforce India’s position as a trusted supplier in global agricultural trade.

The next milestone should be an ecosystem where crop protection decisions are guided by science, traceability, timely advice and access to modern tools, all geared towards improving outcomes for farmers. That is how India can secure farmer incomes, enhance food safety and build high-value agricultural exports that meet the standards of increasingly discerning global markets.