The Registration Committee constituted under the Insecticides Act, 1968, called for a complete ban on Carbosulfan.
| Photo Credit:
K K Mustafah
The Union government has moved to ban Carbosulfan insecticide, which is widely used on paddy, cotton, and horticulture crops in India, as per an official gazette notification issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
Citing concerns over its toxicity and risks to human health and the environment, the Ministry proposed a draft order for a complete ban on the insecticide, including the prohibition on the import, manufacture, sale, transport, distribution and use of Carbosulfan from the date of its publication. It also directed the Registration Committee to recall all certificates of registration granted for the insecticide. "If any person who holds the certificate of registration fails to return the certificate to the Registration Committee, referred to in clause (2), within a period of three months, action shall be taken under the provisions contained in the said Act," the draft noted.
The Centre has urged all State governments to take necessary steps under the provisions of the said Act and the rules framed thereunder to implement the order. As per the notification, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare formed an Expert Committee on January 14, 2026, to review the continued use of Carbosulfan insecticide in India. The committee submitted its report to the government on June 12, 2026.
The government then consulted the Registration Committee constituted under the Insecticides Act, 1968. After reviewing the available studies, data and safety concerns, the Registration Committee recommended a complete ban on Carbosulfan in India. "Registration Committee has noted in its recommendation that Carbosulfan is an intrinsically highly hazardous carbamate insecticide which is rapidly metabolised to carbofuran, a highly toxic metabolite responsible for severe cholinesterase inhibition and acute systemic toxicity; significant toxicity of Carbosulfan to birds, pollinators, aquatic organisms and other non-target species, together with international regulatory actions restricting or prohibiting its use in several countries," the notification reads.
Noting "there is no specific antidote to reverse Carbosulfan poisoning," the committee concluded that continued use of the insecticide could pose significant risks to public health and the environment. Based on these concerns, the Registration Committee recommended an immediate and complete ban on the manufacture, import, transport, distribution, sale and use of Carbosulfan in India under the Insecticides Act, 1968.
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