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Bio-Stimulants : Draft Guidelines Report By Agriculture Ministry

News: A draught set of instructions outlining the effectiveness information and trial results needed for the registration of several categories of bio-stimulants under Schedule VI of the FCO Amendment order 2021 has been released by the Agriculture Ministry.

In contrast to pesticides and plant growth regulators covered by the Insecticides Act of 1968, bio-stimulants are compounds or microorganisms that stimulate plant physiological processes and improve growth, nutrient uptake, and stress tolerance.

India is one of the few nations to have established distinct rules for bio-stimulants.

The FCO Amendment Order, issued by the government in 2021, established the bio-stimulant regulation, which stipulates that before being marketed, bio-stimulants must be registered and show efficacy.

Each product’s chemistry, bio-efficacy studies, and toxicity data must be provided by the manufacturer. Based on past safe usage or biosafety data accepted by Indian or developed country regulatory organisations, the Central Bio-stimulant Committee (CBC) will assess data on toxicity.

There are established tolerance levels for naturally occurring components, fortification regulations, and shelf-life studies.

Less animal experimentation should be done, and in-vitro techniques that have been verified by science can be used instead.

If the composition and claims remain the same, the information given for provisional registration might not need to be submitted again for regular registration.