India Cancels Paraquat Dichloride Registrations In Final National Order

India Paraquat Dichloride Order Cancels Market Registrations Immediately

India has issued a final paraquat dichloride order that prohibits registration of the herbicide and cancels existing registration certificates from publication in the Official Gazette. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare notification S.O. 5234(E) is dated 22 September 2026, and the Gazette issue is dated 23 September.

The Registration Committee must call back every certificate granted for paraquat dichloride under section 9 of the Insecticides Act, 1968. A person who fails to return a certificate may face action under the Act. State governments must take the steps they consider appropriate under the Act and its rules to implement the order.

The government says it considered objections to its earlier notice, recommendations from an expert committee and consultation with the Registration Committee. It found that paraquat dichloride use presents risks to human beings and animals requiring immediate action. No concentration threshold, use exemption, existing-stock transition or grace period appears in the four operative clauses.

Final Paraquat Order Is Narrower In Wording Than The Draft Notice

The July notice, S.O. 3800(E), declared an intention to prohibit manufacture, import, transport, distribution, sale and use. The final order's operative text instead prohibits registration and cancels certificates. The operative clauses therefore differ from the broader wording of the proposal.