Union Minister of Agriculture, Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, chaired a key meeting today at Krishi Bhawan in New Delhi with senior officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) regarding the sale of biostimulants.
Taking a firm stance on the matter, the Union Minister said that farmers must not be misled in any way regarding biostimulants. He instructed officials to always consider the welfare of farmers when granting any approval, and said, “We will not allow injustice against small farmers under any circumstances.
Some dishonest players are causing harm, and it is my responsibility to protect the farmers.” During his recent 15-day ‘Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan’, Shri Chouhan had toured villages across several states, directly interacting with farmers in their fields.
During these interactions, farmers raised numerous complaints about the sale of fake fertilizers, seeds, biostimulants, and nano urea. Referring to these complaints in the meeting, he said, “After hearing the grievances of innocent farmers, I cannot sit idle.
As the Agriculture Minister of this country, it is my duty to act.” He questioned why biostimulants, despite repeated renewals and years of sales, were still in the market even though field complaints indicated that they were ineffective.
“A complete review is essential to assess how useful they truly are to farmers. If they aren’t helpful, they must not be allowed to be sold,” he said. He further warned that many companies had started selling biostimulants without merit and declared, “As the Agriculture Minister, I will not let this continue at any cost.”
Shri Chouhan posed several serious questions to the officials, asking for detailed information on:
The history and current status of biostimulants in the country
The number of registered and verified products
Market control measures
Sampling and testing procedures
Methods to identify genuine versus fake products
Legal provisions for action in case of violations
He emphasized the need for ICAR to evaluate biostimulants to uphold the trust of farmers and ensure their technical usefulness. Expressing his dissatisfaction, he pointed out that for several years, around 30,000 biostimulant products were being sold unchecked, and even in the last four years, around 8,000 products remained in circulation.
“After I enforced stricter checks, the number has now come down to approximately 650,” he said, warning against any further negligence that could harm farmers. In a detailed review, Shri Chouhan instructed the officials sternly to prioritize farmers over companies and work solely in the interest of agriculture.
He questioned whether there was any data showing actual production increases due to biostimulant use. “Only those biostimulants that meet all the criteria and are proven beneficial to farmers will be approved.
Approvals will now be based solely on scientific validation, and the responsibility for this will rest entirely with the concerned officials,” he stated. Shri Chouhan concluded the meeting by instructing that clear rules and SOPs (standard operating procedures) must be established, and warned that no irregularities will be tolerated going forward.
“India’s farmers place their trust in us. They trust ICAR. Therefore, it is our and the scientists’ responsibility to think and act solely for the farmers’ welfare. Officials and scientists must work in line with farmers’ actual needs,” Shri Chouhan said.