The government told Parliament on Tuesday that 70,652 samples of fruits and vegetables were tested in 23 states and union territories in the last three years. Of these, only 3.1 percent of the samples were found to contain pesticide residues more than the ‘Maximum Residue Limit’ (MRL) set by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has been running the ‘Monitoring of Pesticide Residues at the National Level’ (MPRNL) project since 2005-06 to detect pesticide residue levels in agricultural products.
Answering a question in Parliament, Chauhan said that under this project, samples are collected from 40 labs. The test reports are then shared with the agriculture departments of the states and union territories to help them create awareness and conduct training programs among farmers about the safe and correct use of pesticides.
The government has also launched ‘National Pest Surveillance System’ (NPSS). It is a digital platform consisting of a mobile app and web portal that facilitates pest identification, monitoring and real-time access to expert advice. According to the minister, the system recommends the use of pesticides approved by the Registration Committee only when necessary and in prescribed quantities. The agriculture ministry is also running awareness and capacity-building programs through its 48 ‘Central Integrated Pest Management Centres’ (CIPMC) and ‘Lost-cum-Central Integrated Pest Management Centres’ (LCIPMC).
Between 2021-22 and 2025-26, these centers conducted 1,353 ‘Farmer Field School’ programs benefiting 46,969 farmers. Meanwhile, 680 two-day human resource development programs benefited 37,664 farmers, while 2,384 campaigns on safe and correct use of pesticides engaged 76,702 farmers. Chouhan said the ministry also conducted 2,548 seed treatment campaigns during this period, which benefited 81,048 farmers.
The government is implementing several schemes to promote the adoption of modern agricultural technologies and good agricultural practices. It has also implemented ‘Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture’ (MIDH) for holistic development of horticulture sector, which includes production of fruits and vegetables. Additionally, 21 states have formed committees to monitor pesticide residues and strengthen the implementation of Good Agricultural Practices and Integrated Pest Management, so as to reduce pesticide residues in agricultural products.