Pesticide sale via e-com sites welcome but it may see more fakes, fear players

The domestic industry has welcomed the recent government order allowing sale of pesticides through e-commerce platforms.

However, a section of players is wary of the proliferation of counterfeit products unless more checks and balances are put in place.

The Centre — in a gazette notification issued a few days back — allowed the sale of insecticides through e-commerce platforms, subject to certain guidelines and requirements. The e-commerce entities — before allowing sale of pesticides through their respective platforms — have to verify the validity of the licence issued by the authorities concerned.

Also, both the e-commerce platform and the licensee, who wants to sell the pesticides, have to comply with the relevant rules and Acts of the Consumer Protection Act.

Though there are enough safeguards to prevent misuse of the facility by unscrupulous elements, some players are wary of a rise in fake pesticides. This is because it has happened with several other products sold through e-commerce platforms.

“The positive side is that end users of pesticides may get a product, which is fairly priced as dealer margins will come down, and this is big in the pesticides industry. However, sales through ecommerce platforms could further inflate the fake markets unless proper checks and balances are enforced,” a senior industry executive said.

According to a Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry study in 2015, spurious and illegal pesticides comprised around 25 per cent by value and 30 per cent by volume of the domestic pesticide industry in 2013.

“The response mechanism will be fast for any company as the buying behaviour will play a big role in the decision making mechanism of companies. The purchase behaviour and data related to purchases will give a transparent idea to all stakeholders in making a consumer-centric policy, said Kalyan Goswami, directorgeneral of Agro Chem Federation of India.