On 14 May 2020, the Indian Ministry of Agricultural and Farmers Welfare invites a 45-day consultation on a draft injunction, banning the import, production, distribution and use of 27 agricultural pesticides including Acephate, Atrazine, Benfuracarb, Butachlor, Captan, Carbofuran, Chlorpyriphos, 2,4-D, Deltamethrin, Dicofol, Dimethoate, Dinocap, Diuron, Malathion, Mancozeb, Methomyl, Oxyfluorfen, Pendimethalin, Quinalphos and Sulfosulfuron, Carbendazim, Monocrotophos, Thiodicarb, Thiophanate-methyl, Thiram, Zineb and Ziram.

The 27 pesticides are shortlisted from 66 pesticides subject to review by an expert committee constituted in July 2013, of which 18 were banned in 2018, 15 were found to be safe and the remaining 6 are under review now.

These pesticides accounted for 10% to 15% of India’s agrochemical export and 20% of the industry’s revenue. According to India’s Department of Chemicals &Petro-Chemicals, the total capacity of the 16 proposed pesticides reached 170,000 tons per year in 2018.