The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has notified the Insecticides (First Amendment) Rules, 2025, bringing changes to the labeling, packaging, and information requirements for insecticide products across India. The new rules, effective from June 4, 2025, aim to enhance consumer safety and provide comprehensive product information.
These amendments follow a public consultation period initiated in December 2023, during which objections and suggestions from stakeholders were considered by the Central Government.
Key Changes to Insecticide Labeling
The updated rules introduce a structured approach to labeling, categorizing packages into “ultra small,” “small,” and “big” based on net content, and mandating specific information for each:
Labels must now be printed in both English and Hindi languages. For “big packages” (over 250 gm or ml), additional regional languages are required if the product is proposed for sale in those regions.
Labels can have one, two, or three panels, with minimum sizes corresponding to the package face.
Prominent Information:
- The brand name must be in bold and not more than 1.5 times the size of the common name, which must be placed directly below it.
- The instruction “Read Leaflet Before Use” must be prominently displayed at the top of the label in bold.
- The purpose of the chemical must be clearly stated (e.g., “for Agricultural Use,” “for Pest Control Operators,” “for Household Use,” “for Public Health,” or “others (specify)”).
- Optimal re-entry period after application, composition, antidote statement, and safety precautions must be mentioned.
Labels will direct users to a detailed leaflet for comprehensive information on directions for use, application manner and time, crops/target areas, pest categories, dosage, symptoms of poisoning, and first aid.
Labels must include the name of the manufacturer, importer/re-packer (if applicable), marketer, registration number, manufacturing license number, batch number, manufacturing and expiry dates, Maximum Retail Price (MRP), and net content (in metric system).
Standard warnings like “not to be used for any purpose other than those subscribed on label and leaflets” and “destroy the container after use as directed on leaflet” are mandatory.
Customer Care and QR Codes:
Labels must feature customer care details, including the company’s name, email ID, and customer care numbers.
A Quick Response (QR) Code is now mandatory on the retail pack (primary or secondary). Scanning this QR code must lead to a web link or URL of the manufacturing company, providing unique information from the entire label and leaflet. The QR code must contain at least the Unique Identifier/Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), batch number, manufacturing date, and expiry date.
Secondary Packaging
Ultra small and small packages must be enclosed in a secondary pack, which must indelibly display all required label information, unless the primary pack itself already meets all content and font size requirements. For ultra-small packs, multiple primary packs can be in one secondary pack, provided each primary pack has a leaflet and QR code securely attached.
Compliance Timelines
Registration certificate holders have six months from the rules’ commencement date to switch to the new compliant labels and leaflets.
The distribution, sale, exhibition for sale, or stocking of any insecticide or its package bearing a non-compliant label or leaflet will be prohibited after thirty months from the rules’ commencement date. This thirty-month grace period will automatically cease unless otherwise directed.
