'We are spreading thorns in path of our farmers instead of petals': Dhanuka Agritech Group chairman RG Agarwal slams restrictive rules

NEW DELHI: Export bans and other restrictions on produce are brought in at the cost of farmers and must be stopped, Dhanuka Agritech Group chairman RG Agarwal said, and asked why farmers cannot benefit when there is price rise in products but middlemen are allowed to do so.

Speaking at Times Of India's Right To Excellence Agri-Tech Summit 2023, Agarwal said if such restrictive laws are allowed to continue, then farmers will remain poor and their children will reject agriculture as viable employment opportunity and "no one will be left to grow our vegetables".




Illegal import of pesticide
He further said that Indian laws hold domestic pesticide companies to very high standards of quality, but little to no action is taken against illegal import of spurious or duplicate agriculture products.

"The government should stop the illegal trade of pesticides and chemicals before anything else," he said, adding that nearly 90% of pesticide products being used by small farmers in villages are spurious imports.

"Our fight is not against genuine products but against material being imported that is spurious ... we also want government to take action against officials who test these spurious products and give their approval for use in our farms," Agarwal asserted, adding that such products are inflicting irreparable damage to farms.

"Such spurious products end up damaging the crops and then we get news of farmer suicides," he added.

Agarwal also questioned the government's reluctance in providing comprehensive and extended data protection on pesticide products.

Noting that the output of India's agriculture sector is a third of China, Agarwal said if the government invests correctly then India can produce as much as China and farming could become a $1 trillion sector.

"There are 1,200 pesticide products registered globally but only 330 in India ... are we giving our farmers new technology or are we creating barriers towards procurement of new technology? we are spreading thorns in the path of our farmers instead of petals," he said.

The Dhanuka Agritech Group chairman also slammed the 18% GST rate on pesticide, asking whether the agriculture product was a luxury item.

"If the government removes the restrictive rules on pesticide producers, then all the pesticide companies that are leaving China right now will come to India. Currently, all these companies are shifting base to Indonesia or Vietnam ... we are losing so much employment and investment," he added.

Agarwal further said that development and growth of the agriculture sector will benefit every other sector in India and help the country achieve its goal of becoming a $30 trillion by 2047.