Sources said the Agriculture Ministry had previously classified carbofuran as a “highly toxic” pesticide, but only moved forward with its proposal to include it in the restricted-use pesticide category after receiving recommendations from the Central Pesticide Board and Registration Committee (CIB&RC). | Image Source: PTI
The government is considering restricting the use of carbosulfan, a pesticide widely used in rice, cotton, and horticultural crops. A final decision is expected by the end of this month. This move reflects the government’s increased efforts to improve food safety and promote healthier farming practices following a proposal in July to ban the herbicide paraquat.
FMC India currently markets this insecticide under the brand name “Marshal” in a 25% emulsifiable concentrated form. The company claims it is a broad-spectrum insecticide that effectively controls chewing and sucking pests on a variety of crops through both contact and stomach action.
On its website, FMC India states: “Marshal insecticides are a brand trusted by farmers for decades, known for their broad-spectrum activity against a wide range of chewing and sucking pests of cotton, rice, and vegetables. Their unique mode of action makes Marshal insecticides a good alternative for crop rotation, particularly suitable for vegetable spray programs, and effective in combating insecticide resistance.”
In May of this year, FMC signed a definitive agreement to sell its commercial operations in India to Crystal Crop Protection for $252 million. Under the agreement, Crystal will acquire FMC India’s commercial crop protection operations, including licensing rights to the FMC brand sold in India. Crystal will also receive priority supply agreements for certain active ingredients and formulations from FMC, as well as priority access to FMC’s crop protection product line in India.
Sources report that the Ministry of Agriculture previously classified carbofuran as a “highly toxic” pesticide, but began working on a proposal to list it under the restricted-use category only after receiving recommendations from the Central Insecticide Board and Registration Committee (CIB&RC). On June 29, the CIB&RC met to thoroughly review the expert committee’s report on paraquat dichloride and carbofuran and conducted in-depth deliberations under Section 27(2) of the Insecticides Act 1968.
According to the minutes of the meeting, “The RC decided to submit the recommendations separately to the Government of India for consideration, and the Government of India will make a final and appropriate decision on this matter. The RC will implement the relevant final decision taken by the Government of India.”
On July 14, the government published a draft law proposing a complete ban on the use of paraquat dichloride, citing its high toxicity to humans and animals. The draft law aims to halt the production, import, sale, and distribution of this widely used herbicide and gives stakeholders 30 days (until August 12) to submit their feedback before the ban is officially implemented.
Industry representatives claim that placing carbathullium on the restricted use list could lead to various restrictions regulating its use by farmers. Currently, farmers purchase carbathullium and use it arbitrarily, according to recommendations. Although the patent has expired, carbathullium is still produced in India by FMC or its licensees.
Industry representatives also stated that, unlike paraquat, people are not overly concerned about the toxicity or other health risks associated with carbofuran. However, according to sources, since carbofuran is included in the Rotterdam Convention, all contracting parties are required to declare its imports. Therefore, the Rotterdam Committee referred the issue to an expert group for review.
However, experts working with farmers growing crops such as cumin (which requires the use of Marshall’s pesticide) say carbativan could impact their exports to the EU, as the maximum residue limit (MRL) in the EU is 0.01 mg/kg. India’s food regulatory authority, FSSAI, sets different MRLs for carbativan for three different crops: 0.2 mg/kg for rice, 2 mg/kg for chili peppers, and 20 mg/kg for dried chili peppers, while there are no specific limits for other crops.
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Post time: Aug-10-2026
