Context: Government has tightened the regulation of Biostimulants following the complaints from farmers about forced tagging of Nano-fertilisers or Biostimulants with conventional subsidised fertilisers.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Biostimulants, Fertiliser Control Order (FCO) 1985, Insecticide Act 1968.
What are Biostimulants?
The Fertiliser (Inorganic, Organic or Mixed) (Control) Order 1985, which regulates the manufacturing and sale of biostimulants, defines biostimulants as substances or microorganisms that:
- Stimulate plant physiological processes
- Improve nutrient uptake
- Enhance growth, yield, stress tolerance, and crop quality.
- Do not include pesticides or plant growth regulators which are regulated under the Insecticide Act 1968.
They can be derived from seaweed extracts, plant waste, or microorganisms and are not traditional fertilisers or pesticides.
India’s Biostimulant Market
- India biostimulants market size is valued at USD 355.53 million in 2024.
- The market is projected to grow from USD 410.78 million in 2025 to USD 1,135.96 million by 2032, exhibiting a CAGR of 15.64% during the forecast period.
Issues with Biostimulants:
- Questionable Efficacy: Many farmers complained about the ineffectiveness of biostimulants.
- Unregulated Sale in the Past: Biostimulants were sold without government approval for years since they were neither classified as fertilisers nor pesticides. Over 30,000 products were sold unchecked for years. After government regulation, the number has now come down to approximately 650.
- Provisional Certification Loophole: Manufacturers were allowed to sell products with only provisional registration, which was extended repeatedly. This delayed the enforcement of full regulatory standards.
1985 Fertiliser Control Order (FCO) and the Insecticide Act, 1968
- In India, fertilisers and pesticides are governed by the 1985 Fertiliser Control Order and the Insecticides Act of 1968, respectively.
- The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare issues the Fertiliser Control Order (FCO) under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, and makes changes to it from time to time.
Regulation of Biostimulants
- In 2021, the Ministry of Agriculture amended the 1985 FCO and included biostimulants, paving the way for their regulated manufacturing, sale and import. The inclusion of biostimulants empowered the Central government to fix specifications.
- The FCO classified biostimulants specified in Schedule VI of the FCO in eight categories, including botanical extracts (as well as seaweed extracts), bio-chemicals, vitamins, and antioxidants.
- Every manufacturer or importer of a biostimulant shall make an application to the Controller of Fertilisers along with the requisite product information.
- The product’s chemistry, source (natural extracts of plant/microbe/animal/synthetic), shelf-life, reports of bio-efficacy trials, and toxicity must be submitted, along with other data. The five basic acute toxicity tests are:
- Acute oral
- Acute dermal
- Acute Inhalation
- Primary skin Irritation
- Eye irritation
- The four eco-toxicity tests are: (i) Toxicity to birds; (ii) Toxicity to Fish (Freshwater); (iii) Toxicity to honeybees; (iv) Toxicity to earthworm
- The FCO clearly states that no biostimulant shall contain any pesticide beyond the permissible limit of 0.01ppm.
- Agronomic bio-efficiency trials shall be conducted under the National Agricultural Research System, including the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and state agricultural universities.
- Bio-efficacy trials shall be conducted at minimum three different doses for one season at three agro-ecological locations.
Central Biostimulant Committee:
- In 2021, the Agriculture Ministry constituted the Central Biostimulant Committee for 5 years, with the Agriculture Commissioner as its Chairperson and seven other members.
- Under the FCO, it shall advise the Centre on:
- inclusion of a new biostimulant;
- specifications of various biostimulants
- methods of drawing of samples and its analysis
- minimum requirements of laboratory
- method of testing of biostimulants
- any other matter referred to it by the central government.
Recent Government Actions on Biostimulants
- The Union Agriculture Minister wrote to all Chief Ministers urging them to stop the forced tagging of biostimulants with subsidised fertilisers like urea and DAP.
- The latest extension of provisional certificates expired on June 16, 2025, after which companies cannot sell unapproved biostimulants.
- In addition to this, the Agriculture Ministry notified “Specifications of Biostimulants” for several crops, including tomato, chilli, cucumber, paddy, brinjal, cotton, potato, green gram, grape, hot pepper, soybean, maize, and onion.